Tag Archives: Nehemiah 4:1

Introduction to Nehemiah 4:1 Nehemiah 4:1 describes the reaction of Sanballat upon hearing that the Israelites were rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. His response is one of anger and mockery, as captured by the Hifil verb וַיַּלְעֵג (vayyilʿēg). This verb is key to understanding the intensity and direction of his scorn, as the Hifil stem often implies causative action. This analysis will explore the morphology, syntactic function, and semantic implications of וַיַּלְעֵג in Biblical Hebrew. וַיְהִ֞י כַּאֲשֶׁ֧ר שָׁמַ֣ע סַנְבַלַּ֗ט כִּֽי־אֲנַ֤חְנוּ בֹונִים֙ אֶת־הַ֣חֹומָ֔ה וַיִּ֣חַר לֹ֔ו וַיִּכְעַ֖ס הַרְבֵּ֑ה וַיַּלְעֵ֖ג עַל־הַיְּהוּדִֽים׃ Analysis of Key Words/Phrases The Hifil verb וַיַּלְעֵג (vayyilʿēg) appears in the phrase: וַיַּלְעֵ֖ג עַל־הַיְּהוּדִֽים This phrase consists of: וַיַּלְעֵג (vayyilʿēg) – “He mocked” (Hifil verb).… Learn Hebrew