I have an article in the upcoming edition of the Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies. In this article I contend that the certain Aramaic verbs in Targum Onqelos shed light on how the biblical Hebrew Imperfect is used in the narrative portions of the Hebrew Old Testament. Thank you to Dr. Adam Howell forContinue reading “Upcoming Article”
Category Archives: Featured Topics on Syntax
The Relative Clause in Jer. 10:11
In the video on Jeremiah 10:11b we came across a relative clause (underlined in red) indicated by the relative particle (A). The relative clause in Biblical Aramaic is similar to the relative clause in Biblical Hebrew. In Biblical Hebrew, the relative clause can follow a definite or indefinite antecedent. The
The verb עגן in Ruth 1:13b
In the video on Ruth 1:13b we came across the verb תֵּעָגֵ֫נָה (Niph’al Imperfect 2fp עגן). In the video I briefly talked about what likely happened to the third root nun. Many of the grammars that are available to you do not address this word, with the exception of Joüon-Muraoka. Therefore, anything said here .Continue reading “The verb עגן in Ruth 1:13b”
The Definite Article in Ruth 1:12e
In my video on Ruth 1:12e we saw that לַיְלָה had the definite article. We translated הַלַּיְלָה as “tonight” or “this night.” In this post I wanted to briefly describe this particular use of the definite article. The definite article in biblical Hebrew has two uses: Particular and Generic. The Particular use of the definiteContinue reading “The Definite Article in Ruth 1:12e”
The Participle
The participle shares characteristics with nouns and with verbs. Like nouns, the participle has gender, number, definiteness, and case. Like verbs, the participle can take an object, has voice (active/passive), has tense (determined by context), and has aspect. However, it must be kept in mind that the participle in biblical Hebrew (and in other Semitic languages, likeContinue reading “The Participle”
Ruth 1:8 – Ketiv Qere
This video introduces ‘ketiv qere’ – instances where the Masoretes noted the correct reading of a word in the margin of the text. A ketiv qere occurs in Ruth 1:8. This video is a little longer than normal. For those who are interested in learning what the marginal notes mean in the BHS, Page Kelley hasContinue reading “Ruth 1:8 – Ketiv Qere”
The Accents
Below is a link to a PDF with a chart listing the disjunctive and conjunctive accents. In the video for Isaiah 9:5e I mentioned a few disjunctive accents, and in future videos I’ll make mention of others. This chart will be a helpful reference for you so you won’t have to dig out your books.Continue reading “The Accents”
The Qal Passive form and Isaiah 9:5
In the video for Isaiah 9:5b I noted that the verb יֻלַּד could be taken as a Pu”al Perfect of ילד or a Qal Passive Perfect of ילד. In the video I stated that I believe the form is a Qal Passive Perfect, but then I proceeded to explain how it could be parsed asContinue reading “The Qal Passive form and Isaiah 9:5”
The Accusative of Specification
In the videos for Genesis 3:15c and 3:15d we ran across the ‘accusative of specification.’ In this post I will provide a description of this adverbial accusative.
Cases in Biblical Hebrew?
In my videos you will often here me use the terms ‘accusative,’ ‘genitive,’ and ‘nominative.’ You will also see these terms in your more traditional grammars, like Gesenius-Kautzsch and Joüon-Muraoka and even more linguistically informed grammars like Waltke-O’Connor. But are these acceptable terms to use in describing Hebrew grammar?
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