יָדֹ֨ועַ֙ תֵּֽדְע֔וּ כִּי֩ לֹ֨א יֹוסִ֜יף יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֗ם לְהֹורִ֛ישׁ אֶת־הַגֹּויִ֥ם הָאֵ֖לֶּה מִלִּפְנֵיכֶ֑ם וְהָי֨וּ לָכֶ֜ם לְפַ֣ח וּלְמֹוקֵ֗שׁ וּלְשֹׁטֵ֤ט בְּצִדֵּיכֶם֙ וְלִצְנִנִ֣ים בְּעֵינֵיכֶ֔ם עַד־אֲבָדְכֶ֗ם מֵ֠עַל הָאֲדָמָ֤ה הַטֹּובָה֙ הַזֹּ֔את אֲשֶׁר֙ נָתַ֣ן לָכֶ֔ם יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃
(Joshua 23:13)
Opening Imperative and Double Infinitive
יָדֹ֨ועַ֙ תֵּֽדְע֔וּ
“You shall surely know”
This structure uses an infinitive absolute + imperfect verb of the same root (י־ד־ע), functioning as an emphatic future declaration. It ensures certainty, a Hebrew idiom for “you shall most certainly know.” The syntax introduces a solemn announcement.
Future Negative Clause and Divine Subject
כִּי לֹא יֹוסִ֜יף יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֗ם לְהֹורִ֛ישׁ…
“For YHWH your God will no longer dispossess…”
The subject is placed after the verb (יֹוסִ֜יף יְהוָ֣ה), a common verb-subject order in Hebrew narrative and prophecy. The phrase לְהֹורִ֛ישׁ is an infinitive construct governed by the verb יֹוסִ֜יף (“to continue”). Thus, syntactically, the meaning is: “YHWH will no longer continue to dispossess…”
Sequential Warnings: The Syntax of Consequence
וְהָי֨וּ לָכֶ֜ם לְפַ֣ח וּלְמֹוקֵ֗שׁ וּלְשֹׁטֵ֤ט… וְלִצְנִנִ֣ים…
“And they shall be to you as a snare and a trap, and a scourge in your sides, and thorns in your eyes…”
The use of וְ-coordinated nominal clauses creates a cumulative syntactic effect, compounding the warning with metaphoric danger:
- לְפַ֣ח (a snare)
- וּלְמֹוקֵ֗שׁ (a trap)
- וּלְשֹׁטֵ֤ט בְּצִדֵּיכֶם (a scourge in your sides)
- וְלִצְנִנִ֣ים בְּעֵינֵיכֶ֔ם (thorns in your eyes)
These are predicate nouns introduced by לְ, marking function or consequence. The rising intensity from external attack to internal affliction (eyes) is reflected in the syntax.
Final Purpose Clause: Until Eradication
עַד־אֲבָדְכֶ֗ם מֵ֠עַל הָאֲדָמָ֤ה הַטֹּובָה…
“Until you perish from off this good land…”
Here עַד (“until”) introduces a temporal clause of judgment. The verb אֲבָדְכֶ֗ם is a Qal infinitive construct with 2nd person plural suffix (“your perishing”), serving as the endpoint of divine patience.
The clause includes a construct phrase:
- הָאֲדָמָ֤ה הַטֹּובָה (“the good land”)
and an embedded relative clause:
- אֲשֶׁר֙ נָתַ֣ן לָכֶ֔ם יְהוָ֖ה (“which YHWH your God gave you”)
Theological Syntax: Grammar of Covenant Disintegration
The verse is built on a syntactic descent:
- Certainty of judgment
- Withdrawal of divine action
- Consequences described in metaphor
- Final destruction of blessing
Each clause steps deeper into the theological implication: covenant failure yields cumulative devastation, expressed through cascading syntax.
Last Word: When the Eyes Bleed
The grammar of Joshua 23:13 turns anatomy into prophecy. Thorns in the eyes, scourges in the sides, and snares at the feet—each clause is a step into chaos. Hebrew syntax here doesn’t just describe judgment; it unleashes it.