Words
| Forms such as וַיֹּאמֶר, וַיַּרְא and וַיִּיצֶר advance a narrative sequence. Identify the root, stem and subject separately; the prefix is not simply an English word and. | Grammar | Not rated | ||
| יְהִי אוֹר in Genesis 1:3 means let there be light. Compare with וַיְהִי־אוֹר, and there was light: the first expresses a directive, the second a narrative event. | Grammar | Not rated | ||
| נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים (breath of life), עֵץ הַדַּעַת (the tree of knowledge) and פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה (the face of the ground) link nouns. English often supplies of; Hebrew does not need a separate of-word. | Grammar | Not rated | ||
| בְּצַלְמֵנוּ is in our image; לְמִינוֹ is according to its kind. In לְעָבְדָהּ וּלְשָׁמְרָהּ, to work it and keep it, הּ is an object suffix. | Grammar | Not rated | ||
| אָכֹל תֹּאכֵל in Genesis 2:16 and מוֹת תָּמוּת in 2:17 combine an infinitive absolute with a finite verb of the same root. The KJV renders freely eat and surely die; the exact English emphasis depends on context. | Grammar | Not rated | ||
| לֹא־טוֹב in Genesis 2:18 says not good; לֹא תֹאכַל in 2:17 prohibits eating. Read the clause and addressee rather than equating לֹא only with a standalone no. | Grammar | Not rated | ||
| וַיְכֻלּוּ in Genesis 2:1 says were completed; בְּהִבָּרְאָם in 2:4 means when they were created. Notice who or what undergoes the action before trying to identify Pual or Niphal. | Grammar | Not rated | ||
| אֱלֹהִים has a plural-looking ending but refers to God with singular verbs in Genesis 1:1 and 1:3. נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה has feminine singular adjective agreement. Check actual agreement in the clause. | Grammar | Not rated |