-
Recent Articles
- Differences Between Synonyms in Biblical Hebrew (e.g., יָדָע vs. בָּרַךְ for “Bless”)
- Morphology in Biblical Hebrew: Word Formation & Inflection
- Proverbs and Their Grammatical Structure
- Descending into Night: Time Expressions and Poetic Parallelism in Biblical Hebrew
- The Tiberian Vowel System
- When God Speaks: The Syntax of Divine Speech Frames in Biblical Hebrew
- The Role of Gutturals (א, ה, ח, ע) in Verb Conjugation
- “Into the Ark Together”: Order, Gender, and Cause in the LXX Rendering of Noah’s Entry
- Burning Beneath the Pot: Simile Syntax and Semantic Force in Ecclesiastes 7:6
- Gutturals in Biblical Hebrew
- Guarded by Grammar: Purpose Clauses and Verbal Suffixes in Proverbs 7:5
- And They Fled Before the Men of ʿAi”: A Hebrew Battle Surprise
Categories
Archives
Tag Archives: 1 Samuel 25:3
“Good of Understanding and Beautiful in Appearance”: Construct Chains and Characterization in 1 Samuel 25:3
Introduction to 1 Samuel 25:3: Grammar as Narrative Theology
1 Samuel 25:3 introduces two central characters in vivid poetic prose: נָבָל and אֲבִיגָיִל. While this verse appears to simply give names and qualities, it uses construct chains, adjective-noun alignment, and pragmatic word order to communicate deep insights into personality, morality, and spiritual posture. This analysis explores the syntax and morphology of these descriptions to uncover how Hebrew grammar shapes character portrayal in biblical narrative.
וְשֵׁ֤ם הָאִישׁ֙ נָבָ֔ל וְשֵׁ֥ם אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ אֲבִגָ֑יִל וְהָאִשָּׁ֤ה טֽוֹבַת־שֶׂ֨כֶל֙ וִ֣יפַת תֹּ֔אַר וְהָאִ֥ישׁ קָשֶׁ֛ה וְרַ֥ע מַעֲלָלִ֖ים וְה֥וּא כָלִבִּֽי׃
This article analyzes 1 Samuel 25:3, focusing on the construct chain and adjective-noun coordination in the character descriptions of Nabal and Avigayil.… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Grammar
Tagged 1 Samuel, 1 Samuel 25:3
Comments Off on “Good of Understanding and Beautiful in Appearance”: Construct Chains and Characterization in 1 Samuel 25:3
“The Man Was Harsh and Evil of Deeds”: The Grammar of Character in 1 Samuel 25:3
וְשֵׁ֤ם הָאִישׁ֙ נָבָ֔ל וְשֵׁ֥ם אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ אֲבִגָ֑יִל וְהָאִשָּׁ֤ה טֽוֹבַת־שֶׂ֨כֶל֙ וִ֣יפַת תֹּ֔אַר וְהָאִ֥ישׁ קָשֶׁ֛ה וְרַ֥ע מַעֲלָלִ֖ים וְה֥וּא כָלִבִּֽו׃
In the dramatic buildup to David’s encounter with Nabal, Shmuel I 25:3 offers a concise yet striking portrait of both husband and wife. This verse is not merely descriptive; it is structurally and grammatically crafted to contrast two characters — one wise and beautiful, the other harsh and wicked.
At its center lies a powerful linguistic device: the use of compound adjectives and stacked disjunctive phrases that emphasize moral and personal traits.… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Grammar
Tagged 1 Samuel 25:3
Comments Off on “The Man Was Harsh and Evil of Deeds”: The Grammar of Character in 1 Samuel 25:3