וַיְהִי֩ בַיֹּ֨ום הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֜י בִּֽהְיֹ֣ת הַבֹּ֗קֶר וַיְהִי֩ קֹלֹ֨ת וּבְרָקִ֜ים וְעָנָ֤ן כָּבֵד֙ עַל־הָהָ֔ר וְקֹ֥ל שֹׁפָ֖ר חָזָ֣ק מְאֹ֑ד וַיֶּחֱרַ֥ד כָּל־הָעָ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר בַּֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃
(Exodus 19:16)
Temporal Framing with Double Participle
וַיְהִי֩ בַיֹּ֨ום הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֜י בִּֽהְיֹ֣ת הַבֹּ֗קֶר
“And it was on the third day, when the morning came…”
This structure uses:
- A wayyiqtol verb: וַיְהִי (“and it came to be”)
- A temporal noun phrase: בַיֹּ֨ום הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֜י (“on the third day”)
- A construct infinitive clause: בִּֽהְיֹ֣ת הַבֹּ֗קֶר (“when it was morning”)
This sets a cinematic scene—a specific time bracketed by expectation and solemnity, initiating one of the most dramatic theophanies in Scripture.
A Cascade of Chaos: Polysyndeton and Parallel Imagery
וַיְהִי֩ קֹלֹ֨ת וּבְרָקִ֜ים וְעָנָ֤ן כָּבֵד֙ עַל־הָהָ֔ר
“There were thunders and lightnings and a heavy cloud on the mountain…”
The repeated conjunction וְ is a clear use of polysyndeton, drawing attention to each phenomenon:
- קֹלֹ֨ת – “thunders” (plural)
- בְרָקִ֜ים – “lightnings”
- עָנָ֤ן כָּבֵד֙ – “a heavy cloud”
This piling of nouns mimics the intensity and layered visual and auditory chaos of Sinai. Hebrew syntax reinforces sensory overload.
The Shofar That Shattered Silence
וְקֹ֥ל שֹׁפָ֖ר חָזָ֣ק מְאֹ֑ד
“And a sound of a very loud shofar”
This phrase is frontal in word order—subject and modifiers follow the particle וְ. The adjective חָזָ֣ק (“strong”) followed by מְאֹ֑ד (“very”) creates a superlative construct.
It’s not just loud—it’s piercing, a divine summons impossible to ignore.
Psychological Climax: Fear in the Camp
וַיֶּחֱרַ֥ד כָּל־הָעָ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר בַּֽמַּחֲנֶֽה
“And all the people who were in the camp trembled”
The verb וַיֶּחֱרַד (from ḥ-r-d, “to tremble, quake”) indicates deep visceral fear. The noun phrase כָּל־הָעָ֖ם makes the fear universal. This is not poetic trembling—this is the body’s response to divine awe.
What the Grammar Reveals
- Rhythm: The repeated wayyiqtol verbs keep time like thunderclaps.
- Repetition: Every “וְ” slows the pace, as if the world is gasping between signs.
- Word Choice: Heavy, loud, strong—all intensifiers, but modulated through the order of Hebrew syntax.
Where Grammar Meets Glory
This verse isn’t just describing a moment. It is inviting us into it. The Hebrew does not merely narrate—it orchestrates a symphony of divine eruption. It is grammar as revelation. Syntax as seismic event.