# Ch23 — "Reading the Clause" Passage Exercise

For each highlighted clause: (a) identify the clause type, (b) identify any fronted element and its rhetorical function, (c) state the verb and its conjugation (if any), (d) supply the English gloss.

## Passage 1 — Genesis 1:1–4 (Creation Account)

בְּ/רֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַ/שָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָ/אָֽרֶץ (Gen 1:1)

וְהָ/אָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָ/בֹ֔הוּ (Gen 1:2a)

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֙ים֙ יְהִ֣י אוֹר֔ (Gen 1:3)

וַיַּ֧רְא אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶת-הָ/אוֹר֖ כִּי-טֽוֹב (Gen 1:4)

# | Clause | Clause Type | Fronted Element (if any) | Verb & Conjugation | Gloss |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
1 | בְּ/רֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים … (Gen 1:1) |  |  |  |  |
Type: Verbal — PP fronted | Fronted: בְּ/רֵאשִׁ֖ית (temporal PP) — sets the absolute time frame; VSO order follows | Verb: בָּרָ֣א — Qal Perfect 3ms | Gloss: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"
2 | וְהָ/אָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָ/בֹ֔הוּ (Gen 1:2a) |  |  |  |  |
Type: Waw-disjunctive (Background) | Fronted: הָ/אָ֗רֶץ (noun) — וְ + noun steps off narrative mainline | Verb: הָיְתָ֥ה — Qal Perfect 3fs | Gloss: "Now the earth was formless and empty"
3 | וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֙ים֙ (Gen 1:3) |  |  |  |  |
Type: Verbal VSO | Fronted: None | Verb: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר — Wayyiqtol Qal 3ms | Gloss: "And God said"
4 | כִּי-טוֹב (Gen 1:4b) |  |  |  |  |
Type: Verbless (כִּי embedded clause) | Fronted: טוֹב (predicate adjective before subject; subject implied from context) | Verb: None | Gloss: "that it was good" — כִּי = subordinating conjunction; implied copula "was"

## Passage 2 — Genesis 3:1–5 (The Serpent and Eve)

וְהַ/נָּחָשׁ֙ הָיָ֣ה עָר֔וּם מִ/כֹּ֥ל חַיַּ֖ת הַ/שָּׂדֶ֑ה (Gen 3:1a)

וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֶל-הָ/אִשָּׁ֔ה (Gen 3:1b)

לֹ֥א מ֖וֹת תְּמֻתֽוּן (Gen 3:4)

# | Clause | Clause Type | Fronted Element (if any) | Verb & Conjugation | Gloss |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
5 | וְהַ/נָּחָשׁ֙ הָיָ֣ה עָר֔וּם (Gen 3:1a) |  |  |  |  |
Type: Waw-disjunctive (Background) | Fronted: הַנָּחָשׁ (noun) — introduces character before dialogue | Verb: הָיָ֣ה — Qal Perfect 3ms | Gloss: "Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field"
6 | וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֶל-הָ/אִשָּׁ֔ה (Gen 3:1b) |  |  |  |  |
Type: Verbal VSO | Fronted: None | Verb: וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ — Wayyiqtol Qal 3ms | Gloss: "And he said to the woman"
7 | לֹ֥א מ֖וֹת תְּמֻתֽוּן (Gen 3:4) |  |  |  |  |
Type: Verbal — IA fronted (emphatic) | Fronted: מ֖וֹת (Infinitive Absolute Qal of מוּת) — fronted before finite verb for emphatic negation | Verb: תְּמֻתֽוּן — Qal Imperfect 2mp | Gloss: "You will not surely die" — IA + Imperfect pair; emphatic negation

## Passage 3 — Deuteronomy 6:4–5 (The Shema)

שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ יְהוָ֥ה אֶחָֽד (Deu 6:4)

וְאָהַבְתָּ֙ אֵ֣ת יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בְּ/כָל-לְבָבְךָ֥ (Deu 6:5)

# | Clause | Clause Type | Fronted Element (if any) | Verb & Conjugation | Gloss |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
8 | שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל (Deu 6:4a) |  |  |  |  |
Type: Verbal VSO | Fronted: None (יִשְׂרָאֵל is vocative address, not subject) | Verb: שְׁמַ֖ע — Qal Imperative 2ms | Gloss: "Hear, O Israel!"
9 | יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ יְהוָ֥ה אֶחָֽד (Deu 6:4b) |  |  |  |  |
Type: Verbless (two clauses) | Fronted: None | Verb: None | Gloss: "The LORD is our God; the LORD is one" — Subject (יְהוָ֥ה, definite) + Predicate (אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ / אֶחָֽד); copula "is" implied
10 | וְאָהַבְתָּ֙ אֵ֣ת יְהוָ֣ה (Deu 6:5) |  |  |  |  |
Type: Verbal — Weqatal | Fronted: None | Verb: וְאָהַבְתָּ֙ — Weqatal Qal 2ms | Gloss: "And you shall love the LORD your God" — Weqatal carries imperatival force, continuing the command of שְׁמַ֖ע

## Passage 4 — Genesis 22:1–2 (The Binding of Isaac)

וְאַבְרָהָ֖ם זָקֵ֑ן (background clause)

וַיֹּ֗אמֶר קַח-נָ֨א אֶת-בִּנְךָ֧ אֶת-יְחִידְךָ֛ (Gen 22:2a)

אֶת-יִצְחָ֖ק אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָהַ֑בְתָּ (Gen 22:2b)

# | Clause | Clause Type | Fronted Element (if any) | Verb & Conjugation | Gloss |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
11 | וְאַבְרָהָ֖ם זָקֵ֑ן |  |  |  |  |
Type: Waw-disjunctive (Background) — verbless clause | Fronted: אַבְרָהָ֖ם (noun) after וְ steps off the mainline | Verb: None (זָקֵ֑ן = predicate adjective) | Gloss: "Now Abraham was old" — circumstantial background
12 | אֶת-יִצְחָ֖ק אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָהַ֑בְתָּ (Gen 22:2b) |  |  |  |  |
Type: Verbal — Object fronted | Fronted: אֶת-יִצְחָ֖ק (direct object, אֵת-marked) — foregrounded for emotional emphasis | Verb: אָהַ֑בְתָּ — Qal Perfect 2ms | Gloss: "Isaac, whom you love"

## Passage 5 — Mixed Clauses (Jdg 16:20 / Gen 4:9 / Exo 20:2)

וְהוּא֙ לֹ֣א יָדַ֔ע כִּ֥י יְהוָ֖ה עָזְבֽוֹ (Jdg 16:20)

הֲ/שֹׁמֵ֥ר אָחִ֖י אָנֹֽכִי (Gen 4:9b)

אָנֹכִ֖י יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ (Exo 20:2)

# | Clause | Clause Type | Fronted Element (if any) | Verb & Conjugation | Gloss |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
13 | וְהוּא֙ לֹ֣א יָדַ֔ע … (Jdg 16:20) |  |  |  |  |
Type: Waw-disjunctive (Contrast/Irony) | Fronted: הוּא (pronoun) — steps off the narrative mainline for ironic contrast | Verb: יָדַ֔ע — Qal Perfect 3ms | Gloss: "but he did not know that the LORD had left him"
14 | הֲ/שֹׁמֵ֥ר אָחִ֖י אָנֹֽכִי (Gen 4:9b) |  |  |  |  |
Type: Verbless (interrogative) | Fronted: שֹׁמֵ֥ר (predicate participle) fronted with ה interrogative — predicate adj./ptc. typically precedes in verbless questions | Verb: None (שֹׁמֵ֥ר = predicate participle; אָנֹכִי = subject) | Gloss: "Am I my brother's keeper?"
15 | אָנֹכִ֖י יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ (Exo 20:2) |  |  |  |  |
Type: Verbless (identity) | Fronted: None | Verb: None | Gloss: "I am the LORD your God" — pronoun subject (אָנֹכִ֖י) + noun predicate (יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ); divine self-identification formula

### Reflection Questions

1. Waw-disjunctive pattern: In Passages 1 and 2, what pattern do you notice about where the waw-disjunctive clauses occur in the narrative? Why does the author step off the mainline at those moments?

2. Fronting and emphasis: In Gen 22:2, the object אֶת-יִצְחָ֖ק is fronted before the relative clause. What communicative purpose does this serve? Compare with item 7 in the parsing drill (אֶת-הָאָ֖רֶץ, Gen 12:7).

3. Verbless clauses and theology: Items 9 (Deu 6:4b), 14 (Gen 4:9), and 15 (Exo 20:2) are all verbless clauses. How does the absence of a main verb contribute to the directness and force of each statement?