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Recent Articles
- Consecration Through Syntax: The Priestly Ritual in Leviticus 8:24
- “A Three-Day Journey”: The Syntax of Volition and Deixis in Exodus According to Targum Onkelos
- Disaster That Flies Down: A Hebrew Lesson on Isaiah 8:22
- Purified and Presented: A Hebrew Lesson on Numbers 8:21
- Like the Nations Before You: A Hebrew Walkthrough of Deuteronomy 8:20
- Voices of the Dead or the Living God? A Hebrew Lesson on Isaiah 8:19
- When the Ground Denies Him: A Hebrew Walkthrough of Job 8:18
- From Dust to Gnats: A Hebrew Lesson in Action
- The Power of Repetition: Exploring the Waw-Consecutive
- Through the Great and Fearsome Wilderness: From Fiery Serpent to Flowing Spring
- “Counsel Is Mine” — Exploring the Voice of Wisdom in Proverbs 8:14
- From the Garden to the Ear: Participles and Imperatives in Song of Songs 8:13
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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.… Learn Hebrew
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Sworn to Bury: Oaths, Infinitives, and Politeness Forms in Genesis 50:5
אָבִ֞י הִשְׁבִּיעַ֣נִי לֵאמֹ֗ר הִנֵּ֣ה אָנֹכִי֮ מֵת֒ בְּקִבְרִ֗י אֲשֶׁ֨ר כָּרִ֤יתִי לִי֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן שָׁ֖מָּה תִּקְבְּרֵ֑נִי וְעַתָּ֗ה אֶֽעֱלֶה־נָּ֛א וְאֶקְבְּרָ֥ה אֶת־אָבִ֖י וְאָשֽׁוּבָה׃
(Genesis 50:5)
My father made me swear saying behold I am dying in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan there you shall bury me and now let me go up and bury my father and I shall return
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.”… Learn Hebrew
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Pursuit and Confrontation: Imperatives and Sequential Clauses in 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׃
(Genesis 44:4)
They had gone out of the city they had not gone far and Joseph said to the one over his house arise pursue after the men and you shall overtake them and you shall say to them why have you repaid evil in place of good.
Clause One: הֵם יָצְאוּ אֶת־הָעִיר
הֵם (“they”) is the subject pronoun. יָצְאוּ (Qal perfect 3mp of י־צ־א) means “they went out.”… Learn Hebrew
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Clause Structure and Theological Expression in Esther 4:3
וּבְכָל־מְדִינָ֣ה וּמְדִינָ֗ה מְקֹום֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר דְּבַר־הַמֶּ֤לֶךְ וְדָתֹו֙ מַגִּ֔יעַ אֵ֤בֶל גָּדֹול֙ לַיְּהוּדִ֔ים וְצֹ֥ום וּבְכִ֖י וּמִסְפֵּ֑ד שַׂ֣ק וָאֵ֔פֶר יֻצַּ֖ע לָֽרַבִּֽים׃
(Esther 4:3)
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.
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.… Learn Hebrew
The Use of the Cohortative and Jussive in Saul’s Final Request in 1 Samuel 31:4
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שָׁאוּל֩ לְנֹשֵׂ֨א כֵלָ֜יו שְׁלֹ֥ף חַרְבְּךָ֣ וְדָקְרֵ֣נִי בָ֗הּ פֶּן־֠יָבֹואוּ הָעֲרֵלִ֨ים הָאֵ֤לֶּה וּדְקָרֻ֨נִי֙ וְהִתְעַלְּלוּ־בִ֔י וְלֹ֤א אָבָה֙ נֹשֵׂ֣א כֵלָ֔יו כִּ֥י יָרֵ֖א מְאֹ֑ד וַיִּקַּ֤ח שָׁאוּל֙ אֶת־הַחֶ֔רֶב וַיִּפֹּ֖ל עָלֶֽיהָ׃
(1 Samuel 31:4)
And Saul said to his weapon bearer draw your sword and pierce me with it lest these uncircumcised come and pierce me and abuse me but his weapon bearer was not willing for he was very afraid and Saul took the sword and fell upon it.
This study will analyze the grammatical function of the cohortative and jussive in Saul’s plea, the syntactic parallelism of the verbs, and the theological implications of his self-inflicted death.… Learn Hebrew
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Volitional Modality and Antithetical Parallelism in Psalm 25:3
גַּ֣ם כָּל־֭קֹוֶיךָ לֹ֣א יֵבֹ֑שׁוּ יֵ֝בֹ֗שׁוּ הַבֹּוגְדִ֥ים רֵיקָֽם׃
(Psalm 25:3)
Also all who wait for you shall not be ashamed they shall be ashamed the treacherous ones emptily.
This lesson is based on Psalm 25:3, focusing on the topic: ‘Volitional Modality and Antithetical Parallelism in Hebrew: The Syntax of Hope and Shame.’ This verse provides an elegant example of volitional forms, negation, and contrast through poetic structure, all centered on the theme of trust in YHWH.
Introduction to Psalm 25:3: Volition, Shame, and Contrast in Hebrew Poetry
Psalm 25:3 presents a theological contrast between two groups: those who קִוּוּ (“wait” or “hope”) for YHWH, and those who act treacherously.… Learn Hebrew
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The Syntax of Glory Overflowing: A Grammatical Vision in Habakkuk 2:14
כִּ֚י תִּמָּלֵ֣א הָאָ֔רֶץ לָדַ֖עַת אֶת־כְּבֹ֣וד יְהוָ֑ה כַּמַּ֖יִם יְכַסּ֥וּ עַל־יָֽם:
(Habakkuk 2:14)
For the earth shall be filled to know the glory of Yahweh as the waters cover over the sea.
Overview: Syntax as Prophetic Fulfillment
Habakkuk 2:14 delivers a breathtaking vision of divine glory flooding the earth. The verse’s structure combines prophetic perfects, infinitives of purpose, and vivid similes to describe a universal revelation of YHWH’s presence. The syntax is both expansive and precise—mirroring the subject it conveys.
Clause Structure: One Vision, Two Clauses
The verse consists of two coordinated clauses:
1.… Learn Hebrew
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Between the Suns and the Completion of Labor: Aspect and Construct Syntax in Targum Jonathan on Genesis 2:2
וּשְׁלִים יְיָ בְּיוֹמָא שְׁבִיעָאָה עֲבִידְתֵּיהּ דְעָבַד וְעִישַרְתֵּי עִיסְקִין דִבְרָא בֵּינֵי שִׁמְשְׁתָא וְנַח בְּיוֹמָא שְׁבִיעָאָה מִכָּל עֲבִידְתֵּיהּ דְעָבָד
And the LORD completed on the seventh day His work which He had done, and He enriched the operations of creation between the suns, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done.
Verse Selection and Focus
This richly interpretive rendering of Genesis 2:2 by Targum Jonathan offers fertile ground for grammatical analysis. We will focus on two key features:
1.… Learn Hebrew
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“Yat” and the Marking of Definiteness: The Syntax of Direct Objects in Targum Onkelos
בְּקַדְמִין בְּרָא יְיָ יָת שְׁמַיָּא וְיָת אַרְעָא
(Genesis 1:1 in Targum Onkelos)
In the beginning, the LORD created the heavens and the earth
Opening Focus: Why Study יָת?
In Biblical Aramaic, and especially in Targum Onkelos, the particle יָת (yat) plays a critical grammatical role. It marks definite direct objects, a feature not found in the same way in Biblical Hebrew. The verse בְּקַדְמִין בְּרָא יְיָ יָת שְׁמַיָּא וְיָת אַרְעָא (Genesis 1:1 in Targum Onkelos) beautifully demonstrates this phenomenon, containing two uses of יָת that frame the syntax of the act of creation.… Learn Hebrew
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The Simplicity and Subtlety of Hebrew Verbal Morphology
The Biblical Hebrew verbal system, though morphologically sparse, is a masterclass in expressive precision. With just two core tense-forms—Perfect and Imperfect—plus a handful of infinitives, participles, and imperatives, Hebrew conveys rich temporal, modal, and aspectual meaning through syntax and context rather than overt grammatical complexity. The Perfect signals completed actions, while the Imperfect captures ongoing or potential ones, often serving modal roles like jussive or cohortative. Gender, number, and person are embedded in verb forms, and narrative flow is shaped by chains like wayyiqtol and weqatal.… Learn Hebrew
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