Tag Archives: 1 Samuel 31:4

Fall Upon the Blade — Sequential Volitives and the Syntax of Despair

Posted on December 31, 2024 by Biblical Hebrew
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׃ When Grammar Breaks with the King 1 Samuel 31:4 recounts Shaʾul’s final words and final act. As the battle turns irrevocably against him, he turns to his armor-bearer and begs for death — not by enemy hand, but by his own man. The verse is a cascade of verbal forms — imperatives, jussives, infinitives — all collapsing into narrative wayyiqtol.… Learn Hebrew
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The Use of the Cohortative and Jussive in Saul’s Final Request in 1 Samuel 31:4

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Biblical Hebrew
Introduction to 1 Samuel 31:4 1 Samuel 31:4 records the tragic final moments of King Saul, where he commands his armor-bearer to kill him, fearing humiliation at the hands of the Philistines. This verse features the cohortative and jussive verb forms, which express Saul’s urgent request and the armor-bearer’s refusal. The interplay between cohortative (self-motivated volition) and jussive (third-person commands) provides insight into Saul’s desperation and his attempt to maintain control over his fate. 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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