# 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.*

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

> בְּ/רֵאשִׁ֖ית **בָּרָ֣א** אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַ/שָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָ/אָֽרֶץ (Gen 1:1)
> וְ**הָ/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 (bold/numbered above) | Clause Type | Fronted Element (if any) | Verb & Conjugation | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | בְּ/רֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים … (Gen 1:1) | | | | |
| 2 | וְהָ/אָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָ/בֹ֔הוּ (Gen 1:2a) | | | | |
| 3 | וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֙ים֙ (Gen 1:3) | | | | |
| 4 | כִּי\-טוֹב (Gen 1:4b) | | | | |

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## 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)
> **אַ֚ף** כִּ֣י אָמַ֣ר אֱלֹהִ֔ים לֹ֣א תֹאכְל֔וּ מִ/כֹּ֖ל עֵ֥ץ הַ/גָּֽן (Gen 3:1c)
> לֹ֥א מ֖וֹת תְּמֻתֽוּן (Gen 3:4)

| # | Clause | Clause Type | Fronted Element (if any) | Verb & Conjugation | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | וְהַ/נָּחָשׁ֙ הָיָ֣ה עָר֔וּם (Gen 3:1a) | | | | |
| 6 | וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֶל\-הָ/אִשָּׁ֔ה (Gen 3:1b) | | | | |
| 7 | לֹ֥א מ֖וֹת תְּמֻתֽוּן (Gen 3:4) | | | | |

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## 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) | | | | |
| 9 | יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ יְהוָ֥ה אֶחָֽד (Deu 6:4b) | | | | |
| 10 | וְאָהַבְתָּ֙ אֵ֣ת יְהוָ֣ה (Deu 6:5) | | | | |

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## 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)
> וְלֶ֤ךְ\-לְךָ֙ אֶל\-אֶ֣רֶץ הַ/מֹּרִיָּ֔ה (Gen 22:2c)

| # | Clause | Clause Type | Fronted Element (if any) | Verb & Conjugation | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | וְאַבְרָהָ֖ם זָקֵ֑ן | | | | |
| 12 | אֶת\-יִצְחָ֖ק אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָהַ֑בְתָּ (Gen 22:2b) | | | | |

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## Passage 5 — Judges 16:20 / Genesis 4:9 / Exodus 20:2 (Mixed)

> **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) | | | | |
| 14 | הֲ/שֹׁמֵ֥ר אָחִ֖י אָנֹֽכִי (Gen 4:9b) | | | | |
| 15 | אָנֹכִ֖י יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ (Exo 20:2) | | | | |

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## Answer Key

### Passage 1 — Genesis 1:1–4

| # | Clause | Type | Fronted Element | Verb | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | בְּ/רֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים … | Verbal — PP fronted | בְּ/רֵאשִׁ֖ית (temporal PP) — sets the absolute time frame | בָּרָ֣א — Qal Perfect 3ms | "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" |
| 2 | וְהָ/אָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָ/בֹ֔הוּ | Waw-disjunctive (Background) | הָ/אָ֗רֶץ (noun) — steps off narrative mainline | הָיְתָ֥ה — Qal Perfect 3fs | "Now the earth was formless and empty" |
| 3 | וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֙ים֙ | Verbal VSO | None | וַיֹּ֤אמֶר — Wayyiqtol Qal 3ms | "And God said" |
| 4 | כִּי\-טוֹב | Verbless (כִּי embedded) | None (predicate adj. precedes subject) | None | "that it was good" (or "because it was good") — כִּי = subordinating conjunction |

### Passage 2 — Genesis 3:1–5

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

### Passage 3 — Deuteronomy 6:4–5

| # | Clause | Type | Fronted Element | Verb | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל | Verbal VSO | None | שְׁמַ֖ע — Qal Imperative 2ms | "Hear, O Israel" (יִשְׂרָאֵל = vocative) |
| 9 | יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ יְהוָ֥ה אֶחָֽד | Verbless (×2) | None | None | "The LORD is our God; the LORD is one" — two verbless clauses (Subject + Predicate noun / adjective) |
| 10 | וְאָהַבְתָּ֙ אֵ֣ת יְהוָ֣ה | Verbal — Weqatal | None | וְאָהַבְתָּ֙ — Weqatal Qal 2ms | "And you shall love the LORD your God" — sequential imperatival command |

### Passage 4 — Genesis 22:1–2

| # | Clause | Type | Fronted Element | Verb | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | וְאַבְרָהָ֖ם זָקֵ֑ן | Waw-disjunctive (Background) | אַבְרָהָ֖ם (noun) | None (verbless) | "Now Abraham was old" — circumstantial background before the narrative |
| 12 | אֶת\-יִצְחָ֖ק אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָהַ֑בְתָּ | Verbal — Object fronted | אֶת\-יִצְחָ֖ק (direct object, אֵת-marked) — fronted for emotional emphasis | אָהַ֑בְתָּ — Qal Perfect 2ms | "Isaac, whom you love" — the object is foregrounded before the relative clause verb |

### Passage 5 — Mixed

| # | Clause | Type | Fronted Element | Verb | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | וְהוּא֙ לֹ֣א יָדַ֔ע … | Waw-disjunctive (Contrast/Irony) | הוּא (pronoun) | יָדַ֔ע — Qal Perfect 3ms | "but he did not know that the LORD had left him" — tragic ironic contrast |
| 14 | הֲ/שֹׁמֵ֥ר אָחִ֖י אָנֹֽכִי | Verbless (interrogative) | שֹׁמֵ֥ר (predicate participle) fronted with ה interrogative | None (verbless; ptc. = predicate) | "Am I my brother's keeper?" — ה interrogative prefix signals a question |
| 15 | אָנֹכִ֖י יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ | Verbless (identity) | None | None | "I am the LORD your God" — pronoun subject + noun predicate; divine self-identification formula |

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## 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. Compare this with the fronted object in Gen 12:7 (item 7 in the parsing drill). What shared communicative purpose might explain both examples?

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