Tag Archives: Haggai 2:4

Strength in Repetition: The Binyanim Behind Divine Encouragement

Posted on April 2, 2019 by Biblical Hebrew
וְעַתָּ֣ה חֲזַ֣ק זְרֻבָּבֶ֣ל נְאֻם־יְהוָ֡ה וַחֲזַ֣ק יְהֹושֻׁ֣עַ בֶּן־יְהֹוצָדָק֩ הַכֹּהֵ֨ן הַגָּדֹ֜ול וַחֲזַ֨ק כָּל־עַ֥ם הָאָ֛רֶץ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֖ה וַֽעֲשׂ֑וּ כִּֽי־אֲנִ֣י אִתְּכֶ֔ם נְאֻ֖ם יְהוָ֥ה צְבָאֹֽות׃ (Haggai 2:4) But now, be strong, Zerubbabel—declares YHWH—and be strong, Yehoshua son of Yehotsadaq, the high priest, and be strong, all the people of the land—declares YHWH—and work! For I am with you—declares YHWH of Hosts. Divine Grammar in Triplets The Hebrew of Haggai 2:4 builds intensity through grammatical repetition. Three consecutive imperatives of the verb חזק (“be strong”) frame YHWH’s address to three distinct groups.… Learn Hebrew
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“Now, Be Strong”: The Imperative of Divine Encouragement in Haggai 2:4

Posted on January 24, 2017 by Advanced Hebrew Grammar
וְעַתָּ֣ה חֲזַ֣ק זְרֻבָּבֶ֣ל נְאֻם־יְהוָ֡ה וַחֲזַ֣ק יְהֹושֻׁ֣עַ בֶּן־יְהֹוצָדָק֩ הַכֹּהֵ֨ן הַגָּדֹ֜ול וַחֲזַ֨ק כָּל־עַ֥ם הָאָ֛רֶץ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֖ה וַֽעֲשׂ֑וּ כִּֽי־אֲנִ֣י אִתְּכֶ֔ם נְאֻ֖ם יְהוָ֥ה צְבָאֹֽות׃ In the prophetic call of Chaggai 2:4, God speaks directly to the leaders and people of post-exilic Judah. After a long silence and a people demoralized by the modest state of the Second Temple’s reconstruction, this verse is a rallying cry: “Now, be strong!” — repeated three times, once for each key figure or group in the rebuilding effort. Beneath its urgent tone lies a striking grammatical phenomenon: the imperative form used not only for humans but as a performative act of divine empowerment.… Learn Hebrew
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