Tag Archives: Hosea 11:1

“When Yisra’el Was a Youth, I Loved Him”: Temporal Syntax and Divine Calling in Hosea 11:1

כִּ֛י נַ֥עַר יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וָאֹהֲבֵ֑הוּ וּמִמִּצְרַ֖יִם קָרָ֥אתִי לִבְנִֽי׃ (Hosea 11:1) When Yisra’el was a child, I loved him, and out of Mitsrayim I called my son. Divine Affection and Historical Memory Hosea 11:1 opens a new poetic unit where YHWH, in the first person, recalls His loving relationship with Yisra’el. The verse combines temporal clause structure, an emotional perfect verb (אָהַב), and a prophetic allusion to the Exodus—described in the phrase “from Mitsrayim I called my son.” This article explores the grammatical depth of this short verse: the syntax of the temporal expression, the perfect verb denoting divine love, and the call-action structure that affirms divine election and covenant history.… Learn Hebrew
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