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Recent Articles
- Scroll Marginalia: Weighted Syntax and Sanctified Measures (Numbers 7:31, Onkelos)
- “His Hands Shall Bring the Fire-Offerings”: Learning Sacred Hebrew Through Priestly Ritual
- Grammar of Offering: Enumerative Syntax and Appositional Closure
- The Nation That Would Not Listen: Relative Clauses, Coordinated Verbs, and Elliptical Judgment
- Wisdom in Layers: Demonstrative Syntax and Infinitive Purpose in Qohelet
- The Syntax of Sacred Prohibition: Blood in Leviticus 7:26
- From Exodus to Exhortation: The Syntax of Divine Persistence
- Gathered for Judgment: Syntactic Accumulation in Joshua 7:24
- Flying into the Trap: Syntactic Irony in Proverbs 7:23
- Little by Little: Divine Delay and Wild Beasts
- “And the Fish Died and the Nile Stank”: A Hebrew Lesson from Egypt’s First Plague
- The Subtle Grammar of Possession in Biblical Hebrew
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Ezekiel 37:14 – Cohortative and Perfect Verbs of Promise
וְנָתַתִּ֨י רוּחִ֤י בָכֶם֙ וִחְיִיתֶ֔ם וְהִנַּחְתִּ֥י אֶתְכֶ֖ם עַל־אַדְמַתְכֶ֑ם וִידַעְתֶּ֞ם כִּי־אֲנִ֧י יְהוָ֛ה דִּבַּ֥רְתִּי וְעָשִׂ֖יתִי נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃
And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your land; and you shall know that I am YHWH—I have spoken, and I have done it, declares YHWH.
Explanation of Feature
This verse from Ezekiel 37:14 highlights the use of perfect verbs in prophetic speech to express future certainty and fulfilled promise—a common prophetic technique in Biblical Hebrew. Verbs like דִּבַּרְתִּי (“I have spoken”) and עָשִׂיתִי (“I have done”) appear in the perfect tense, but contextually refer to future actions that are so certain they are spoken of as if already completed.… Learn Hebrew
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The Use of the Niphal Imperfect in Exodus 35:2
שֵׁ֣שֶׁת יָמִים֮ תֵּעָשֶׂ֣ה מְלָאכָה֒ וּבַיֹּ֣ום הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י יִהְיֶ֨ה לָכֶ֥ם קֹ֛דֶשׁ שַׁבַּ֥ת שַׁבָּתֹ֖ון לַיהוָ֑ה כָּל־הָעֹשֶׂ֥ה בֹ֛ו מְלָאכָ֖ה יוּמָֽת׃
Introduction to Exodus 35:2
Exodus 35:2 provides a command regarding the observance of the Sabbath, emphasizing the six days of work and the seventh day as a holy day of rest. A significant grammatical feature in this verse is the Niphal imperfect verb תֵּעָשֶׂ֣ה (tēʿāśeh), which affects the understanding of who is performing the action of work.
Understanding the Niphal Imperfect in תֵּעָשֶׂ֣ה
1. What is the Niphal Stem?… Learn Hebrew
The Use of the Hiphil Imperfect in 1 Samuel 27:11
1 Samuel 27:11
וְאִ֨ישׁ וְאִשָּׁ֜ה לֹֽא־יְחַיֶּ֣ה דָוִ֗ד לְהָבִ֥יא גַת֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר פֶּן־יַגִּ֥דוּ עָלֵ֖ינוּ לֵאמֹ֑ר כֹּֽה־עָשָׂ֤ה דָוִד֙ וְכֹ֣ה מִשְׁפָּטֹ֔ו כָּל־הַ֨יָּמִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָשַׁ֖ב בִּשְׂדֵ֥ה פְלִשְׁתִּֽים׃
Introduction to the Verse
1 Samuel 27:11 contains a Hiphil imperfect verb, which is key to understanding David’s actions and intentions. The verb יְחַיֶּ֣ה (yəḥayyêh) appears in the Hiphil stem, indicating causation.
Understanding the Hiphil Imperfect in יְחַיֶּ֣ה
1. What is the Hiphil Imperfect?
– The Hiphil stem is one of the seven binyanim (verbal stems) in Biblical Hebrew.… Learn Hebrew
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Hebrew Tenses
The Nature of Tense in Hebrew Verbs
The designation of the term tense in the context of Hebrew verbs is a misnomer that has long led to misunderstandings regarding the function of the Hebrew verbal system. Unlike Indo-European languages, where tenses primarily indicate temporal distinctions (past, present, future), Hebrew verbs do not inherently express time. Instead, Hebrew verbs convey the state of an action—whether it is completed (perfect) or ongoing (imperfect). This distinction is fundamental to understanding the Hebrew verbal system and its application in both biblical and modern contexts.… Learn Hebrew
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“Who Did This Thing?” – A Hebrew Detective Story in Judges 6:29
וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ אִ֣ישׁ אֶל־רֵעֵ֔הוּ מִ֥י עָשָׂ֖ה הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֑ה וַֽיִּדְרְשׁוּ֙ וַיְבַקְשׁ֔וּ וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ גִּדְעֹון֙ בֶּן־יֹואָ֔שׁ עָשָׂ֖ה הַדָּבָ֥ר הַזֶּֽה׃
(Judges 6:29)
Literal English Translation
And they said, each man to his neighbor, “Who did this thing?” And they investigated and searched, and they said, “Gidʿon son of Yoʾash did this thing.”
Word-by-Word Explanation
וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ – “And they said”Verb. From the root אָמַר (“to say”). The וַ prefix shows we’re in narrative mode—this is the vav-consecutive for a past action. The form is masculine plural: “they said.”… Learn Hebrew
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Separation and Settlement: Accumulation, Coordination, and Displacement in Genesis 36:6
Genesis 36:6
וַיִּקַּ֣ח עֵשָׂ֡ו אֶת־֠נָשָׁיו וְאֶת־בָּנָ֣יו וְאֶת־בְּנֹתָיו֮ וְאֶת־כָּל־נַפְשֹׁ֣ות בֵּיתֹו֒ וְאֶת־מִקְנֵ֣הוּ וְאֶת־כָּל־בְּהֶמְתֹּ֗ו וְאֵת֙ כָּל־קִנְיָנֹ֔ו אֲשֶׁ֥ר רָכַ֖שׁ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנָ֑עַן וַיֵּ֣לֶךְ אֶל־אֶ֔רֶץ מִפְּנֵ֖י יַעֲקֹ֥ב אָחִֽיו׃
Opening Verb: וַיִּקַּח עֵשָׂו
וַיִּקַּח is a Qal wayyiqtol 3ms of ל־ק־ח (“to take”), introducing narrative progression: “Esav took.” The subject עֵשָׂו is explicitly stated for clarity and emphasis. This verb governs a long coordinated list of direct objects, indicating deliberate action.
Coordinated Objects: וְאֶת־נָשָׁיו… וְאֶת־כָּל־קִנְיָנֹו
This verse contains a tightly constructed series of accusative phrases introduced by אֶת or וְאֶת, each marking a new element Esav took with him:
נָשָׁיו — “his wives”
בָּנָיו — “his sons”
בְּנֹתָיו — “his daughters”
כָּל־נַפְשׁוֹת בֵּיתֹו — “all the people of his household”
מִקְנֵהוּ — “his livestock”
כָּל־בְּהֶמְתּוֹ — “all his animals”
כָּל־קִנְיָנוֹ — “all his possessions”
This accumulation reflects Esav’s wealth and the completeness of his departure.… Learn Hebrew
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Plots and Stems: The Binyanim That Build Gallows
וַתֹּ֣אמֶר לֹו֩ זֶ֨רֶשׁ אִשְׁתֹּ֜ו וְכָל־אֹֽהֲבָ֗יו יַֽעֲשׂוּ־עֵץ֮ גָּבֹ֣הַּ חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים אַמָּה֒ וּבַבֹּ֣קֶר אֱמֹ֣ר לַמֶּ֗לֶךְ וְיִתְלוּ אֶֽת־מָרְדֳּכַי֙ עָלָ֔יו וּבֹֽא־עִם־הַמֶּ֥לֶךְ אֶל הַמִּשְׁתֶּ֖ה שָׂמֵ֑חַ וַיִּיטַ֧ב הַדָּבָ֛ר לִפְנֵ֥י הָמָ֖ן וַיַּ֥עַשׂ הָעֵֽץ׃ (Esther 5:14)
Then Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, “Let them make a tree fifty cubits high, and in the morning say to the king and let them hang Mordokhai on it. Then go with the king to the banquet joyful.” And the thing was pleasing in the eyes of Haman, and he made the tree
Setting the Stage
In this darkly ironic scene from Esther, evil schemes are made to look light-hearted, and verbs do the dirty work.… Learn Hebrew
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Sworn to Bury: Oaths, Infinitives, and Politeness Forms in Genesis 50:5
Genesis 50:5
אָבִ֞י הִשְׁבִּיעַ֣נִי לֵאמֹ֗ר הִנֵּ֣ה אָנֹכִי֮ מֵת֒ בְּקִבְרִ֗י אֲשֶׁ֨ר כָּרִ֤יתִי לִי֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן שָׁ֖מָּה תִּקְבְּרֵ֑נִי וְעַתָּ֗ה אֶֽעֱלֶה־נָּ֛א וְאֶקְבְּרָ֥ה אֶת־אָבִ֖י וְאָשֽׁוּבָה׃
Oath Introduction: אָבִי הִשְׁבִּיעַנִי לֵאמֹר
אָבִי (“my father”) is the subject of the sentence. הִשְׁבִּיעַנִי is a Hiphil perfect 3ms + 1cs suffix of ש־ב־ע (“to make someone swear”), meaning “he caused me to swear.” לֵאמֹר (“saying”) is the infinitive construct introducing direct speech. This formula is common in narrative Hebrew when quoting an oath or divine word.
Quoted Oath: הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי מֵת
הִנֵּה (“behold”) emphasizes the gravity of the oath.… Learn Hebrew
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Pursuit and Confrontation: Imperatives and Sequential Clauses in Genesis 44:4
Genesis 44:4
הֵ֠ם יָֽצְא֣וּ אֶת־הָעִיר֮ לֹ֣א הִרְחִיקוּ֒ וְיֹוסֵ֤ף אָמַר֙ לַֽאֲשֶׁ֣ר עַל־בֵּיתֹ֔ו ק֥וּם רְדֹ֖ף אַחֲרֵ֣י הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֑ים וְהִשַּׂגְתָּם֙ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם לָ֛מָּה שִׁלַּמְתֶּ֥ם רָעָ֖ה תַּ֥חַת טֹובָֽה׃
Clause One: הֵם יָצְאוּ אֶת־הָעִיר
הֵם (“they”) is the subject pronoun. יָצְאוּ (Qal perfect 3mp of י־צ־א) means “they went out.” The preposition אֶת here functions unusually with a place — אֶת־הָעִיר (“from the city”), which normally takes מִן. This construction likely carries narrative style and idiomatic influence.
Negative Perfect: לֹא הִרְחִיקוּ
לֹא negates the verb הִרְחִיקוּ (Hiphil perfect 3mp from ר־ח־ק, “to go far”), meaning “they had not gone far.”… Learn Hebrew
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Clause Structure and Theological Expression in Esther 4:3
Introduction: Contextual and Literary Setting of Esther 4:3
Esther 4:3 captures the moment of national crisis in the Persian diaspora, following Haman’s genocidal decree against the Jews. The verse is positioned within the narrative tension that prompts Esther’s eventual intervention. It reads:
וּבְכָל־מְדִינָ֣ה וּמְדִינָ֗ה מְקֹום֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר דְּבַר־הַמֶּ֤לֶךְ וְדָתֹו֙ מַגִּ֔יעַ אֵ֤בֶל גָּדֹול֙ לַיְּהוּדִ֔ים וְצֹ֥ום וּבְכִ֖י וּמִסְפֵּ֑ד שַׂ֣ק וָאֵ֔פֶר יֻצַּ֖ע לָֽרַבִּֽים׃
And in every province and province, wherever the word of the king and his law reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and lamenting; sackcloth and ashes were spread out for the many.… Learn Hebrew