DailyHebrew.com

וַיְהִ֗י אַחֲרֵ֛י מֹ֥ות מֹשֶׁ֖ה עֶ֣בֶד יְהוָ֑ה וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־יְהֹושֻׁ֣עַ בִּן־נ֔וּן מְשָׁרֵ֥ת מֹשֶׁ֖ה לֵאמֹֽר׃ 2 מֹשֶׁ֥ה עַבְדִּ֖י מֵ֑ת וְעַתָּה֩ ק֨וּם עֲבֹ֜ר אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֣ן הַזֶּ֗ה אַתָּה֙ וְכָל־הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה אֶל־הָאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָנֹכִ֛י נֹתֵ֥ן לָהֶ֖ם לִבְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ 3 כָּל־מָקֹ֗ום אֲשֶׁ֨ר תִּדְרֹ֧ךְ כַּֽף־רַגְלְכֶ֛ם בֹּ֖ו לָכֶ֣ם נְתַתִּ֑יו כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבַּ֖רְתִּי אֶל־מֹשֶֽׁה׃ 4 מֵהַמִּדְבָּר֩ וְהַלְּבָנֹ֨ון הַזֶּ֜ה וְֽעַד־הַנָּהָ֧ר הַגָּדֹ֣ול נְהַר־פְּרָ֗ת כֹּ֚ל אֶ֣רֶץ הַֽחִתִּ֔ים וְעַד־הַיָּ֥ם הַגָּדֹ֖ול מְבֹ֣וא הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ יִֽהְיֶ֖ה גְּבוּלְכֶֽם׃

Vocabulary

Verse 1

אחרי  noun: "after"
משׁרת  noun: "servant" (BDB, 1058)

נון  “Nun” (the father of Joshua)

Syntax & Miscellaneous

• Line 1 uses apposition twice.  Apposition is found frequently in Hebrew with proper names (in this case with Mosesמשׁה  and Joshua יהושׁע ).
• The syntax of the second clause follows the typical Hebrew quotation formula—the verbal form of אמר followed by the infinitive construct of the same verb—that is similar to the English form: He said, “___”.
• Notice how the first introduction of Joshua links directly to the end of the book of Deuteronomy in subject with the death of Moses and in grammar with a waw-consecutive construction.  Joshua the book, therefore, is connecting seamlessly the Torah and the Former Prophets.

Vocabulary

Verse 2

קום  verb (Qal imperative ms): “stand up”

עבר verb (Qal impv ms): "go through, cross over"

ירדן “Jordan [River]”

אנכי 1 person singular pronoun: “I”

Verse 3

            כף “hollow, sole” (BDB, 496)

            רגל “foot”

Verse 4 (more advanced students)

מדבר “wilderness”

לבנון “Lebanon”

פרת “Euphrates”

חתים “Hivites”

מבוא participle: "entering" (BDB, 99)

Syntax & Misc.

Verse 2

• Because the first word of verse two is the beginning of the quotation, the regular initial conjunction is absent.
• The second word is in apposition to the moniker, Moses.
• The mark above the demonstrative (זה) is a disjunctive accent (r^eb [Young, 29]), which indicates the following is a separate phrase from the previous one.

Verse 3

• The feminine form, תדרך, agrees with the feminine noun subject.
• The relative marker, אשׁר, is used very frequently in Biblical Hebrew prose, but is typically absent in poetry.

Verse 4

• Adjectives and demonstratives must agree with the nouns they modify in gender, number, and definiteness.

 וַיְהִי֩ אִ֨ישׁ אֶחָ֜ד מִן־הָרָמָתַ֛יִם צוֹפִ֖ים מֵהַ֣ר אֶפְרָ֑יִם וּשְׁמ֡וֹ אֶ֠לְקָנָה בֶּן־יְרֹחָ֧ם בֶּן־אֱלִיה֛וּא בֶּן־תֹּ֥חוּ בֶן־צ֖וּף אֶפְרָתִֽי׃ 2 וְלוֹ֙ שְׁתֵּ֣י נָשִׁ֔ים שֵׁ֤ם אַחַת֙ חַנָּ֔ה וְשֵׁ֥ם הַשֵּׁנִ֖ית פְּנִנָּ֑ה וַיְהִ֤י לִפְנִנָּה֙ יְלָדִ֔ים וּלְחַנָּ֖ה אֵ֥ין יְלָדִֽים׃ 3 וְעָלָה֩ הָאִ֨ישׁ הַה֤וּא מֵֽעִירוֹ֙ מִיָּמִ֣ים ׀ יָמִ֔ימָה לְהִֽשְׁתַּחֲוֹ֧ת וְלִזְבֹּ֛חַ לַיהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת בְּשִׁלֹ֑ה וְשָׁ֞ם שְׁנֵ֣י בְנֵֽי־עֵלִ֗י חָפְנִי֙ וּפִ֣נְחָ֔ס כֹּהֲנִ֖ים לַיהוָֽה׃ 4 וַיְהִ֣י הַיּ֔וֹם וַיִּזְבַּ֖ח אֶלְקָנָ֑ה וְנָתַ֞ן לִפְנִנָּ֣ה אִשְׁתּ֗וֹ וּֽלְכָל־בָּנֶ֛יהָ וּבְנוֹתֶ֖יהָ מָנֽוֹת׃ 5 וּלְחַנָּ֕ה יִתֵּ֛ן מָנָ֥ה אַחַ֖ת אַפָּ֑יִם כִּ֤י אֶת־חַנָּה֙ אָהֵ֔ב וַֽיהוָ֖ה סָגַ֥ר רַחְמָֽהּ׃

Vocabulary

Verse 1

צופים רמתים  name of place: “Ramathaim-zophim” (BDB, HALOT)

אפרים  name: "Ephraim" (BDB, HALOT)

אלקנה  name: “Elkanah, son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph”

אפרתי  “an Ephraimite” (BDB, HALOT)

Verse 2

שׁתי  noun (mpl construct): “two” (BDB, HALOT)

חנה  name: “Hannah” (BDB, HALOT)

פננה  name: “Peninnah” (BDB, HALOT)

ילדים  noun: “children” (BDB, HALOT)

Verse 3

עלה  verb: “go up, go out”

מִיָּמִ֣ים ׀ יָמִ֔ימָה  idiom: “yearly”

השׁתחות  verb (Hishtawah inf. const.): “worship”

זבח  verb (inf. const.): “sacrifice”

שׁלה  name of place: “Shiloh”

עלי  name: “Eli”

חפני  name: “Hophni”

פנחס  name: “Phinehas”

Syntax & Miscellaneous

Verse 1

• The waw consecutive form, וַיְהִי, is used to begin narrative portions of several books including Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 2 Samuel, Esther, Ezekiel and Jonah (GKC 49).
• The second element of the noun phrase, אִ֨ישׁ אֶחָ֜ד, is used similarly to the indefinite article, a or a certain, in English (GKC 125b).  Other similar usages: Judges 13:2; 2 Samuel 18:10; 1 Kings 22:8; and Daniel 10:5.
• The preposition, מִן, is found in two forms as a separable preposition connecting to the following word phrase using a maqqep (“joiner,” cf. GKC 16) and as an inseparable preposition fusing with the following word, הַר (“hill”), thus assimilating the nun and lengthening the vowel from short to long.

Verse 2

• Verse 2 begins with a verbless clause that is a clause which assumes the verb “to be.”  In this case one might render either “it was (to him)” or more idiomatically “he [Elkanah] had.”
• Notice the similarity of clause structure found in verse 2: clause A “to him there were”, clause B, “to Peninnah there were”, but clause C “to Hannah there were not”.

Verse 3

• The conjunction waw connects two equal things.  In verse 3 it joins two infinitives, thus one might render this phrase: “to worship and sacrifice.”
• The final clause, beginning with waw + non-verb (וְשָׁ֞ם שְׁנֵ֣י בְנֵֽי־עֵלִ֗י), indicates a disjunctive comment (like a parenthetical note: “Now…”).

Verse 4

• Using the form waw + verb demonstrates a resumption of the story from before the disjunctive comment in verse 3 (WO).

• The waw in the second clause, וַיִּזְבַּ֖ח אֶלְקָנָ֑ה, may best be rendered “that.”
• Notice how the waw is used to join the following phrase to the broader syntax:

לִפְנִנָּ֣ה אִשְׁתֹּ֗ו וּֽלְכָל־בָּנֶ֛יהָ וּבְנֹותֶ֖יהָ

Example:

לִפְנִנָּ֣ה אִשְׁתֹּ֗ו    

וּֽלְכָל־בָּנֶ֛יהָ         

וּבְנֹותֶ֖יהָ      

Vocabulary

Verse 3

עלה  verb: “go up, go out”

מִיָּמִ֣ים ׀ יָמִ֔ימָה  idiom: “yearly”

השׁתחות  verb (Hishtawah inf. const.): “worship”

זבח  verb (inf. const.): “sacrifice”

שׁלה  name of place: “Shiloh”

עלי  name: “Eli”

חפני  name: “Hophni”

פנחס  name: “Phinehas”

Verse 4

מנות   noun (fem. plural): “portions” (BDB, 584)

Verse 5

אפים  “double portion”

אהב  verb: “love”

סגר  verb: “close”

רחם  “womb” (BDB, 933)

Syntax & Misc.

Verse 3

• The conjunction waw connects two equal things.  In verse 3 it joins two infinitives, thus one might render this phrase: “to worship and sacrifice.”
• The final clause, beginning with waw + non-verb (וְשָׁ֞ם שְׁנֵ֣י בְנֵֽי־עֵלִ֗י), indicates a disjunctive comment (like a parenthetical note: “Now…”).

Verse 4

• Using the form waw + verb demonstrates a resumption of the story from before the disjunctive comment in verse 3.

• The waw in the second clause, וַיִּזְבַּ֖ח אֶלְקָנָ֑ה, may best be rendered “that.”
• Notice how the waw is used to join the following phrase to the broader syntax:

לִפְנִנָּ֣ה אִשְׁתֹּ֗ו וּֽלְכָל־בָּנֶ֛יהָ וּבְנֹותֶ֖יהָ

Example:

לִפְנִנָּ֣ה אִשְׁתֹּ֗ו    

וּֽלְכָל־בָּנֶ֛יהָ          

וּבְנֹותֶ֖יהָ       

Verse 5

• The last clause uses a disjunctive waw.  How does this clause relate to the previous sentence?

Verse 2

תהו "formlessness" (BDB, 1062)

בהו "emptiness/void" (BDB, 96)

חשׁך "darkness"

תהום "deep" (BDB, 1062)

מרחפ Participle (Piel fs): "hover" (BDB, 934)

Verse 4

אור "light"

יבדל verb (Hiphil 3ms): "divide"

Verse 5

לילה "night"

ערב "evening"

בקר "morning

Syntax & Misc.

Verse 3

• The mode ofיְהִ֣י  is jussive, hence “Let there be…”

Verse 5

• The פ indicates an “Open” Paragraph.