Tag Archives: Isaiah 6:8

“Whom Shall I Send?” — The Grammar of Divine Inquiry and Human Response in Isaiah 6:8

Posted on June 8, 2025 by Advanced Hebrew Grammar
וָאֶשְׁמַ֞ע אֶת־קֹ֤ול אֲדֹנָי֙ אֹמֵ֔ר אֶת־מִ֥י אֶשְׁלַ֖ח וּמִ֣י יֵֽלֶךְ־לָ֑נוּ וָאֹמַ֖ר הִנְנִ֥י שְׁלָחֵֽנִי׃ In the aftermath of his celestial vision, Isaiah hears a divine voice posing a question that echoes through time: אֶת־מִי אֶשְׁלַח וּמִי יֵלֶךְ־לָנוּ “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” This moment from Yeshayahu 6:8 is not only one of the most pivotal in prophetic literature — it is also linguistically rich, revealing how Biblical Hebrew encodes divine speech, human initiative, and theological plurality within a single exchange.… Learn Hebrew
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“Send Me!” — Volition, Syntax, and the Prophetic Calling in Isaiah 6:8

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Biblical Hebrew
וָאֶשְׁמַ֞ע אֶת־קֹ֤ול אֲדֹנָי֙ אֹמֵ֔ר אֶת־מִ֥י אֶשְׁלַ֖ח וּמִ֣י יֵֽלֶךְ־לָ֑נוּ וָאֹמַ֖ר הִנְנִ֥י שְׁלָחֵֽנִי׃ (Isaiah 6:8) And I heard the voice of my Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here I am; send me.” Morphology וָאֶשְׁמַ֞ע (vaʾeshmaʿ) – Root: שָׁמַע; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 1cs (consecutive imperfect, first common singular); Translation: “And I heard”; Notes: The wayyiqtol form advances the narrative past action in Biblical Hebrew prose. אֶת־קֹ֤ול (ʾet-qol) – Root: קוֹל; Form: masculine singular construct; Translation: “the voice of”; Notes: Construct chain linking to the following proper name.… Learn Hebrew
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