Tag Archives: Judges

The Idiomatic Expression נַפְשִׁי בְכַפִּי in Biblical Hebrew (Judges 12:3)

Posted on March 9, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew
Judges 12:3 in Hebrew וָֽאֶרְאֶ֞ה כִּֽי־אֵינְךָ֣ מֹושִׁ֗יעַ וָאָשִׂ֨ימָה נַפְשִׁ֤י בְכַפִּי֙ וָֽאֶעְבְּרָה֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י עַמֹּ֔ון וַיִּתְּנֵ֥ם יְהוָ֖ה בְּיָדִ֑י וְלָמָ֞ה עֲלִיתֶ֥ם אֵלַ֛י הַיֹּ֥ום הַזֶּ֖ה לְהִלָּ֥חֶם בִּֽי׃ Introduction to נַפְשִׁי בְכַפִּי In Judges 12:3, the phrase נַפְשִׁי בְכַפִּי appears, which can be translated as “I put my life in my hand.” This is an idiomatic expression in Biblical Hebrew that conveys the idea of taking extreme personal risk or putting oneself in danger. Understanding נַפְשִׁי בְכַפִּי in Context – נַפְשִׁי (nafshī) – “my soul” or “my life.”… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Grammar | Tagged , | Comments Off on The Idiomatic Expression נַפְשִׁי בְכַפִּי in Biblical Hebrew (Judges 12:3)

The Use of the Hifil Stem in Judges 3:1

Posted on March 1, 2018 by Biblical Hebrew
Introduction to Judges 3:1 Judges 3:1 introduces a list of nations that YHWH left in the land to test Israel. A key grammatical feature in this verse is the Hifil (causative) verb הִנִּיחַ (hinni’aḥ), which comes from the root נוח (nu’aḥ, “to rest, leave, allow”). The Hifil stem is widely used in Biblical Hebrew to express causation, meaning the subject causes an action to occur. Understanding the function of the Hifil in this verse helps clarify the theological implications of YHWH’s role in leaving these nations as a test for Israel.… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Grammar, Theology | Tagged , | Comments Off on The Use of the Hifil Stem in Judges 3:1