1 Samuel 4:12

Paleo Hebrew Niqqud

RBT Hebrew Interlinear:

וירץ וַיָּרָץ

and he is running

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

ו

wāw

Definition

sequential 'and'

Root

From H8505; a prefix

Exhaustive

Vav Conversive/Consecutive: The category “vav conversive / vav consecutive” is not an ancient grammatical datum; it is a modern explanatory construct, developed by early Hebraists to force Biblical Hebrew into a Latin/chronological tense model that it simply does not share.

The notion arose in early modern grammar (17th–19th c.) when scholars assumed:
- verbs must encode tense,
- narratives must advance by past → present → future,
- therefore Hebrew forms that “don’t behave” must be converted.

Source: The Aonic Nature of Biblical Hebrew Prepositions

רוץ

rûwts

Definition

to run (for whatever reason, especially to rush)

Root

a primitive root;

Exhaustive

a primitive root; to run (for whatever reason, especially to rush); break down, divide speedily, footman, guard, bring hastily, (make) run (away, through), post.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H7323

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

רוּץ

verb • Root רוץ • Strongs / High • Page 1329

II. to bruise or rub in pieces, grain, to grind.

רוּץ

verb • Root רוץ • Strongs / High • Page 1329

to flow or run off, to precipitate; hence to run, to rush along, to hasten; to hunt; to seek protection from one.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

רוּץ

verb • Page 177

To run.

רוּץ

verb • Page 613

1. To run; metaphorically to pursue with ardour. 2. To rush upon, to assail. Participle plural: runners, state-couriers, or royal bodyguards. Prov. 18:10, Ps. 119:32, 1 Sam. 22:17.

conjunctive, Verb Qal sequential imperfect third person masculine singular

LXX: ἔδραμεν ἔδραμον παρατρεχόντων δράμε δραμοῦμαι

LXX Usage Statistics

H7323:

ἔδραμεν 11× (10.1%)

ἔδραμον 6× (5.7%)

παρατρεχόντων 5× (4.5%)

δράμε 5× (5.1%)

δραμοῦμαι 4× (4.0%)

παρατρέχοντεσ 4× (3.5%)

--- 3× (3.1%)

τρέχουσιν 3× (3.1%)

δραμοῦνται 3× (3.1%)

τρέχοντα 3× (3.1%)

איש אִישׁ־

a man/each one

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

איש

ʼîysh

Definition

a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)

Root

contracted for H582 (אנוש) (or perhaps rather from an unused root meaning to be extant);

Exhaustive

contracted for אנוש (or perhaps rather from an unused root meaning to be extant); a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation); also, another, any (man), a certain, [phrase] champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-, husband-) man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree), him (that is), husband, man(-kind), [phrase] none, one, people, person, [phrase] steward, what (man) soever, whoso(-ever), worthy. Compare אשה.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H376

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

אִישׁ

noun masculine • Root אש • Strongs_Numbers • Page 117

1. a man, prop. strong; generally a man with relation to strength, courage and valour; a husband; with reference to sex, male, masculine (applied to men and beasts).

אִישׁ

noun masculine • Root אנש • Strongs_Numbers • Page 119

Used distributively as 'any one', 'each', 'every one'; used reciprocally as 'one another' (lit. a man to his brother); also used to express an antithetic or additional member.

אִישׁ

noun masculine • Root אנש • Strongs_Numbers • Page 929

Man. Example of a word where Nun is absorbed, from an older form אִנְשׁ.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

אִישׁ

m. prim. irreg. • Root אנש אנוש • Page 46

1. man, i. q. Lat. vir; used collectively; often in apposition before other substantives (e.g., אִישׁ סָרִיס an eunuch, Jer. 38:7). Used as a designation of sex, even in animals (Gen. 7:2); hence a husband (Gen. 3:16). 2. joined with substantives to denote a possessor of a quality (e.g., אִישׁ אָוֶן a wicked wretch). 3. followed by אָח or רֵעַ, 'the one... the other'. 4. any one, some one (Ex. 16:29). 5. every one (Ex. 16:29). 6. used impersonally like French 'on' or German 'man' (1 Sam. 9:9).

Noun common both singular construct

LXX:

LXX Usage Statistics

H0376:

No stats available

בנימן בִּנְיָמִן

None

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

בנימין

Binyâmîyn

Definition

Binjamin, youngest son of Jacob; also the tribe descended from him, and its territory

Root

from H1121 (בן) and H3225 (ימין); son of (the) right hand;

Exhaustive

from בן and ימין; son of (the) right hand; Binjamin, youngest son of Jacob; also the tribe descended from him, and its territory; Benjamin.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H1144

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

בִּנְיָמִן

noun proper • Consonantal / Medium • Page 258

Benjamin; proper name of Jacob's youngest son, whom his mother called Ben-oni. Ancestor of the Israelite tribe named from him.

Matched via consonantal key only

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

בִּנְיָמִין

noun masculine • Root ימין • Page 105

Benjamin, meaning 'son of prosperity'. The youngest son of Jacob and the tribe named after him. References: Gen. 35:18, Josh 18:11 ff.

Noun proper name masculine

LXX: βενιαμιν ιεμενι υἱοῦ υἱοὶ

LXX Usage Statistics

H1144:

βενιαμιν 153× (82.1%)

βενιαμιν 5× (2.4%)

ιεμενι 4× (2.0%)

υἱοῦ 3× (1.8%)

υἱοὶ 3× (1.8%)

υἱὸσ 3× (1.7%)

--- 2× (1.2%)

ιεμιναίου 2× (1.2%)

מהמערכה מֵהַמַּעֲרָכָה

None

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

מ

mi / min

Definition

from

Root

Abbreviated from H4480

Exhaustive

(mem) — from / out of

Core value: emergence, separation, derivation
מ does not merely indicate origin in time (“after”). It marks boundary-crossing:
- source,
- differentiation,
- contrast,
- extraction.
Aonically, מ indicates transition between states.
not “after X” but “out from within X.”
This is why מ can signal both cause and contrast: both involve standing on the far side of a boundary.

Source: The Aonic Nature of Biblical Hebrew Prepositions

ה

Definition

the

Root

Demonstrative primitive

Exhaustive

definite article, the, used for all numbers and genders; originally a pronoun demonstrative, this. interrogative particle in direct and indirect questions; in disjunctive questions: whether--or.

Source: The Aonic Nature of Biblical Hebrew Prepositions

מערכה

maʻărâkâh

Definition

an arrangement; concretely, a pile; specifically a military array

Root

feminine of H4633 (מערך);

Exhaustive

feminine of מערך; an arrangement; concretely, a pile; specifically a military array; army, fight, be set in order, ordered place, rank, row.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H4634

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

מַעֲרָכָה

feminine noun • Root ערך • Strongs / High • Page 889

array, an army put in battle-array; an army generally. Also arrangement, setting forth, of the shew-bread, of the lambs, or of the wood on an altar.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

מַעֲרָכָה

noun feminine • Root ערך • Page 395

1. an arranging, a setting in order. Ex. 39: 37; Judg. 6: 26; Gen. 22: 9. 2. order of battle, battle-array. 1 Sam. 4: 16; 17: 22, 48.

Prep-M, Particle definite article, Noun common feminine singular absolute

LXX: '' παράταξιν παρατάξεωσ παρατάξει

LXX Usage Statistics

H4634:

'' 6× (29.3%)

παράταξιν 4× (21.3%)

παρατάξεωσ 3× (14.7%)

παρατάξει 2× (8.0%)

ויבא וַיָּבֹא

and he is coming in

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

ו

wāw

Definition

sequential 'and'

Root

From H8505; a prefix

Exhaustive

Vav Conversive/Consecutive: The category “vav conversive / vav consecutive” is not an ancient grammatical datum; it is a modern explanatory construct, developed by early Hebraists to force Biblical Hebrew into a Latin/chronological tense model that it simply does not share.

The notion arose in early modern grammar (17th–19th c.) when scholars assumed:
- verbs must encode tense,
- narratives must advance by past → present → future,
- therefore Hebrew forms that “don’t behave” must be converted.

Source: The Aonic Nature of Biblical Hebrew Prepositions

בוא

bôwʼ

Definition

to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)

Root

a primitive root;

Exhaustive

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H935

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

בּוֹא

verb • Strongs_Numbers • Page 224

1. To go, to wander; usually with announcing the limit of one's going. 2. To arrive, to come at (distinguished from הָלַךְ in expressing the limit of going). In this sense metaphorically: a) to be born, to appear; b) to reach to one, to be equal to him; c) to reach inanimate things; d) to come upon, to fall upon (suddenly), e.g., of an enemy or calamity; e) to come to pass, to be fulfilled (of wishes, promises); f) of inanimate things, to come near; g) applied to time; h) with the preposition בְּ, to come with somewhat, i.e., to bring.

בּוֹא

verb • Root בוא • Strongs_Numbers • Page 225

To go in, to enter, to come; to arrive; to go down (of the sun).

בּוֹא

verb • Root בוא • Strongs_Numbers • Page 755

to come to

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

בּוֹא

verb • Page 88

1. to go or come in, to enter. Gen. 6:18. Frequently opposed to יָצָא. 2. to lie with a woman, inire feminam. Gen. 16:2. 3. spoken of the sun, to set, go down (below the horizon). Gen. 15:17. 28:11.

בּוֹא

verb • Page 89

To go in, to enter, to come. Includes many specific idioms: to conduct oneself (Josh. 15:18); to come in as revenue (1 K. 10:14); to enter into a covenant (2 Chr. 15:12); to come upon someone or befall them (Lam. 1:10); to come to pass or be fulfilled (Prov. 13:12); to bring something (with ב, Ps. 66:13); to obtain (Ps. 69:28). Hiphil: to bring in, carry in, or lead (2 Sam. 9:10). Hophal: passive (Lev. 10:18).

conjunctive, Verb Qal sequential imperfect third person masculine singular

LXX:

LXX Usage Statistics

H0935:

No stats available

שלה שִׁלֹה

None

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

שילה

Shîylôh

Definition

Shiloh, a place in Palestine

Root

or שלה; or שילו; or שלו; from the same as H7886 (שילה);

Exhaustive

or שלה; or שילו; or שלו; from the same as שילה; Shiloh, a place in Palestine; Shiloh.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H7887

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

שִׁילֹה

noun proper • Root שלה • Strongs / High • Page 1415

n. p. of a city of Ephraim, north of Bethel (resting-place).

שִׁילֹה

noun proper • Strongs / High • Page 1416

A central city and seat of the tabernacle from Joshua till Samuel, and later an important city of the kingdom of Israel. Also discussed regarding its meaning in Gen. 49:10, where it is variously derived or interpreted as relating to peace/rest or the Messiah.

שִׁילֹה

noun proper masculine • Strongs / High • Page 1416

Same as שְׁלֹה (n. p. m.), only in the patronymic form שִׁלְכִי (see שְׁלֹה).

Noun proper name

LXX: σηλω σηλωμ pεἰσ σηλωνίτου ---

LXX Usage Statistics

H7887:

σηλω 13× (29.7%)

σηλωμ 12× (27.1%)

pεἰσ 4× (10.5%)

σηλωνίτου 4× (8.9%)

--- 2× (5.2%)

ὥσπερ 2× (5.2%)

'' 2× (4.5%)

ביום בַּיּוֹם

within the Manifestation/Day

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

ב

bə

Definition

in, by

Root

A primitive particle; a prefix

Exhaustive

(beth) — in / within / by means of

Core value: interiority, enclosure, participation

ב does not primarily mean “in time” (“when”) or even “in space.” It marks being inside a domain, whether that domain is:
- spatial (house, land),
- conceptual (wisdom, covenant),
- modal (strength, fear),
- instrumental (by means of).
Aonically, ב marks immersion.
not “when X happened” but “within the state or field of X.”
This is why ב־יום does not need to mean “on the day (chronological)” but “within the day-realm / condition”.

Source: The Aonic Nature of Biblical Hebrew Prepositions

יום

yôwm

Definition

a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)

Root

from an unused root meaning to be hot;

Exhaustive

from an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb); age, [phrase] always, [phrase] chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to) day, (now a, two) days (agone), [phrase] elder, [idiom] end, [phrase] evening, [phrase] (for) ever(-lasting, -more), [idiom] full, life, as (so) long as (... live), (even) now, [phrase] old, [phrase] outlived, [phrase] perpetually, presently, [phrase] remaineth, [idiom] required, season, [idiom] since, space, then, (process of) time, [phrase] as at other times, [phrase] in trouble, weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), [idiom] whole ([phrase] age), (full) year(-ly), [phrase] younger.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H3117

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

יוֹם

noun masculine • Root ימם • Strongs / High • Page 595

brightness, splendour, shining, light. hence 1. the day (the period of light), opposed to night; can also mean mid-day. 2. the civil day, including night.

יוֹם

noun masculine • Root יום • Strongs / High • Page 596

Day; also used metaphorically for a specific time or event, such as birth-day, day of punishment, day of death, the present time, or the end of life.

יוֹם

noun masculine (aramaic) • Root יום • Strongs / High • Page 596

Aramaic (Chaldee) word for 'day', with the same variety of senses as the Hebrew.

יוֹם

noun / masculine • Root ימם • Strongs / High • Page 612

1. clearness, light. 2. day (including the night). The plural form יָמִים can also mean a short time, an indefinite time, or a long time.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

יוֹם

m. prim. dec. i. • Page 277

1. day. Phrases: הַיּוֹם (this day; to-day, 1 Sam. 12:17); בְּיוֹם (on the day when, Gen 2:17); כְּיוֹם (now, Gen. 25:31); יוֹם יוֹם (daily, Neh. 8:18); מִיּוֹם (from the day on, Ex. 10:6). Special uses: a day of misfortune (Obad. 12), a day of prosperity or festival (Hos. 7:5), and the day of Jehovah/judgment (Joel 1:15). 2. time generally (Gen. 39: 11).

יוֹם

noun masculine • Page 278

Day. (1) Specially days of one's life (Gen. 6:3, Gen. 43:9, Sam. 25:28). (2) Time generally (Gen. 47:8, Ex. 2:11, Judg. 18:1). (3) Some or several days (Neh. 1:4, Dan. 8:27, Gen. 40:4). (4) A year (Lev. 25:29, Judg. 17:10, 1 Sam. 2:19).

יוֹם

m. chald. • Page 278

Day, as in Heb. Plural יוֹמִין, emphatic יוֹמַיָּא. (Ezra 4:15, 19).

Preposition -Within Art, Noun common both singular absolute

LXX: ἡμέρᾳ ἡμέρασ σήμερον ἡμέραν ἡμερῶν

LXX Usage Statistics

H3117:

ἡμέρᾳ 574× (20.2%)

ἡμέρασ 571× (23.8%)

σήμερον 204× (9.1%)

ἡμέραν 171× (6.9%)

ἡμερῶν 153× (6.4%)

ἡμέρα 135× (5.4%)

ἡμέραισ 133× (4.6%)

ἡμέραι 116× (4.7%)

--- 51× (2.4%)

'' 46× (1.8%)

ההוא הַהוּא

Himself

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

ה

Definition

the

Root

Demonstrative primitive

Exhaustive

definite article, the, used for all numbers and genders; originally a pronoun demonstrative, this. interrogative particle in direct and indirect questions; in disjunctive questions: whether--or.

Source: The Aonic Nature of Biblical Hebrew Prepositions

הוא

hûwʼ

Definition

he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally (instead of copula) as or are

Root

of which the feminine (beyond the Pentateuch) is היא; a primitive word, the third person pronoun singular;

Exhaustive

of which the feminine (beyond the Pentateuch) is היא; a primitive word, the third person pronoun singular; he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally (instead of copula) as or are; he, as for her, him(-self), it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they, this, those, which (is), who.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H1931

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

הוּא

personal pronoun • Root הו • Strongs / High • Page 392

Personal pronoun, 3rd person singular masculine: he, it. It can also be used for emphasis (he himself), as a demonstrative (this, that), to indicate self, or to strengthen other pronouns (I myself, thou thyself).

הוּא

pronoun • Strongs / High • Page 393

Personal pronoun, 3rd person singular masculine: he, it. Can also mean 'the same', 'himself'. It is also used as a designation for God, and can include the verb 'to be'.

הוּא

aramaic personal pronoun (aramaic) • Strongs / High • Page 393

Aramaic personal pronoun of the 3rd person, he.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

הוּא

chald. • Page 178

idem. behold, as for as simply. So in Syr. Dan. 2:43.

הוּא

pronoun • Page 182

1. he, and as a neuter it. In the Pentateuch, used for both genders. 2. self, same, selfsame. Is. 7:14, Ps. 44:5. 3. serves as the substantive verb 'to be' (copula). Is. 43:25. Also used as 'thou (art) the same' in 2 Sam. 7:28.

הוּא

chald. pron. • Page 182

idem (the same). Dan. 2:21.

הוּא

chald. • Page 182

see הֲוָה.

הוּא

unknown • Page 217

see הָוָה.

Particle definite article, Pronoun personal third person masculine singular

LXX: αὐτὸσ ἐστιν ἐκείνῃ οὗτοσ ---

LXX Usage Statistics

H1931:

αὐτὸσ 321× (16.5%)

ἐστιν 260× (13.7%)

ἐκείνῃ 197× (10.6%)

οὗτοσ 160× (8.4%)

--- 103× (5.6%)

ἐκείνῳ 67× (3.6%)

ἐστίν 54× (2.9%)

ἐστὶν 54× (2.7%)

'' 50× (2.3%)

τοῦτο 42× (2.2%)

ומדיו וּמַדָּיו

None

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

ו

wə

Definition

and

Root

From H8505; a prefix

Exhaustive

The conjunctive ו is not merely a fixed coordinator with a stable semantic value (“and/but/or/then”). Its core function is linkage, not meaning. It binds units into a single discourse field—phrases, clauses, or whole scenes—while leaving the logical relation to be inferred from aspect, word order, genre, and context.

So the variability in translation (“and / but / or / even / then”) is not polyvalence in the particle; it is underspecification by design. The language expects the reader/hearer to perceive the relation rather than have it encoded.

Crucially, conjunctive ו does not imply temporal sequence. It implies continuity of attention. Think of it as:
- “this belongs with what precedes,”
- “remain within the same frame,”
“do not reset the discourse.”
This is why Hebrew can chain dozens of clauses with ו without subordination or explicit logic markers. The text advances by accumulation, not by branching syntactic trees. Meaning arises from the interaction:
- Aspect (qatal / yiqtol / participle),
- Position (fronted elements, resumptive nouns),
- Genre (law, narrative, oracle),
- Context (who speaks, to whom).
The ו simply keeps the circuit closed so these cues can operate together. Remove tense assumptions, and the system becomes coherent.

Source: The Aonic Nature of Biblical Hebrew Prepositions

מד

mad

Definition

properly, extent, i.e. height; also a measure; by implication, a vesture (as measured); also a carpet

Root

or מד; from H4058 (מדד);

Exhaustive

or מד; from מדד; properly, extent, i.e. height; also a measure; by implication, a vesture (as measured); also a carpet; armour, clothes, garment, judgment, measure, raiment, stature.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H4055

הו

Definition

his, personal posessive - noun suffix: 3rd person masculine singular

Root

Exhaustive

Personal posessive pronoun - suffix for nouns, adjectives and passive participles: 3rd person masculine singular

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H9023

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

מַד

noun masculine • Root מדד • Strongs / High • Page 810

An upper garment, especially a military coat, over which the sword was girt on.

מַד

noun masculine • Root מדד • Strongs / High • Page 810

1. same as the preceding, a military coat. 2. a carpet, a covering, anything spread out, on which one sits in the East.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

מַד

noun masculine / dec. viii. f. and h. • Root מדד • Page 355

1. Measure (Job 11:9, Jer. 13:25). 2. A garment (Ps. 109:18, Lev. 6:3).

Conjunction, Noun common masculine plural construct, Suffix pronominal third person masculine singular

LXX: μανδύαν

LXX Usage Statistics

H4055:

μανδύαν 3× (22.8%)

קרעים קְרֻעִים

None

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

קרע

qâraʻ

Definition

to rend, literally or figuratively (revile, paint the eyes, as if enlarging them)

Root

a primitive root;

Exhaustive

a primitive root; to rend, literally or figuratively (revile, paint the eyes, as if enlarging them); cut out, rend, [idiom] surely, tear.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H7167

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

קָרַע

verb transitive • Strongs / High • Page 1300

To rend asunder, to tear in pieces (with the accusative).

קָרַע

verb transitive • Root קרע • Strongs / High • Page 1300

1. To rend asunder, to tear in pieces (a garment); to tear off.

קָרַע

verb • Strongs / High • Page 1301

To separate, to cut out, to rend (garments, heart, heavens); Figuratively: to tear away, to withdraw, take away (dignity); to slander, calumniate (to tear in pieces).

קָרַע

tr. prop. verb • Root קרע • Strongs / High • Page 1301

To tear asunder, to tear in pieces; hence 1. (not used) to destroy, to extirpate. 2. To open up (e.g., the eyes or mouth), a gesture of the malicious, of falsehood, or scorn.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

קָרַע

verb • Page 598

1. to rend, to tear in pieces (clothes) Gen. 37: 29. 2. to tear open (eyes) Jer. 4: 30. 3. to tear off or away. Lev. 13: 56. 4. to cut in pieces. Jer. 36: 23. 5. to cut out. Jer. 22: 14. 6. to revile. Ps. 35: 15.

Verb Qal participle passive masculine plural absolute

LXX: διέρρηξεν διέρρηξαν διαρρήξω διέρρηξασ διαρρήξατε

LXX Usage Statistics

H7167:

διέρρηξεν 22× (32.2%)

διέρρηξαν 4× (6.2%)

διαρρήξω 4× (5.7%)

διέρρηξασ 3× (4.4%)

διαρρήξατε 2× (3.0%)

ואדמה וַאֲדָמָה

None

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

ו

wə

Definition

and

Root

From H8505; a prefix

Exhaustive

The conjunctive ו is not merely a fixed coordinator with a stable semantic value (“and/but/or/then”). Its core function is linkage, not meaning. It binds units into a single discourse field—phrases, clauses, or whole scenes—while leaving the logical relation to be inferred from aspect, word order, genre, and context.

So the variability in translation (“and / but / or / even / then”) is not polyvalence in the particle; it is underspecification by design. The language expects the reader/hearer to perceive the relation rather than have it encoded.

Crucially, conjunctive ו does not imply temporal sequence. It implies continuity of attention. Think of it as:
- “this belongs with what precedes,”
- “remain within the same frame,”
“do not reset the discourse.”
This is why Hebrew can chain dozens of clauses with ו without subordination or explicit logic markers. The text advances by accumulation, not by branching syntactic trees. Meaning arises from the interaction:
- Aspect (qatal / yiqtol / participle),
- Position (fronted elements, resumptive nouns),
- Genre (law, narrative, oracle),
- Context (who speaks, to whom).
The ו simply keeps the circuit closed so these cues can operate together. Remove tense assumptions, and the system becomes coherent.

Source: The Aonic Nature of Biblical Hebrew Prepositions

אדמה

ʼădâmâh

Definition

soil (from its general redness)

Root

from H119 (אדם);

Exhaustive

from אדם; soil (from its general redness); country, earth, ground, husband(-man) (-ry), land.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H127

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

אֲדָמָה

noun feminine • Root אדם • Strongs_Numbers • Page 67

Properly the firm, hard body of the earth; hence the firm earth, ground, land, country; a town in the tribe of Naftali.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

אֲדָמָה

f. prim. • Page 27

1. Earth, the element. Gen. 2:19. 2. Earth, ground, which we cultivate. Gen. 4:2. 3. Land, country. Gen. 28:15. 4. The globe, whole earth. Gen. 4:11.

אֲדָמָה

noun proper • Page 27

One of the five cities destroyed with the valley of Siddim, and sunk in the Dead Sea. Gen. 10:19. 14:2. Hos. 11:8.

Conjunction, Noun common feminine singular absolute

LXX:

LXX Usage Statistics

H0127:

No stats available

על עַל־

upon/against/yoke

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

על

ʻal

Definition

above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications

Root

properly, the same as H5920 (על) used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following);

Exhaustive

properly, the same as על used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications; above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, [idiom] as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, [idiom] both and, by (reason of), [idiom] had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-) on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, [idiom] with.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H5921

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

עַל

adjective / noun • Root עלה • Strongs / High • Page 1088

Highest; same as עֶלְיוֹן. This form is abridged from עָלָה and derived from עָלַי (like יַד from יָדָה I.), serving as the construct form עֲלֵי (out of עֲלַאי).

עַל

preposition / adverb • Root עלה • Strongs / High • Page 1088

A preposition: upon, over, above, super, in the widest sense. It expresses protecting, covering, resting above upon (answering to 'where'); motion toward the upper surface (answering to 'whither?'); local direction to a more distant agency; or proximity/timing ('with, at'). Used figuratively as dat. commodi and incommodi, meaning a burden or duty upon one, or with certain verbs replacing the dative case. Also expresses motion down upon or up to, sometimes interchanging with אֶל.

עַל

preposition / adverb • Strongs / High • Page 1089

Preposition or Adverb meaning upon, over, at, above (denoting physical overtopping or mental superiority/dominion); expressing addition (to, reckoned to); proximity (by, around); suitability (according to); or occasionally used concessively (though, quanquam).

עַל

preposition / particle / conjunction • Strongs / High • Page 1090

Properly, over, upon, concerning, notwithstanding, against, towards, for the sake of, on account of. Used to express position, antithesis, or distance (away from). After certain verbs, signifies giving way, removing, or fleeing. Also forms various compound particles (e.g., עַל-מָה, עַל-כֵּן, עַל אֲשֶׁר).

עַל

preposition (aramaic) • Root אלא • Strongs / High • Page 1090

Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew עַל. Means: Upon, over, on account of, unto, against, or dative. (Used with suffixes like עָלַי, עָלֵךְ, עֲלֵיהוֹן).

עַל

noun / prepos. • Root עלה • Strongs / High • Page 1092

Derivative of עָלָה, listed as a noun and a preposition.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

עַל

substantive / adverb / adjective • Root עלה • Page 507

Strictly a substantive meaning whatever is high or uppermost (Hos. 7:16, 11:7). Used as an adverb: (1.) 'above' (Gen. 27:39, 49:25; Ps. 50:4). Used as an adjective: (2.) 'high' (2 Sam. 23:1).

Preposition

LXX: ἐπὶ ἐπ' ἐφ' τοῦτο ''

LXX Usage Statistics

H5921a:

ἐπὶ 1722× (33.1%)

ἐπ' 701× (13.4%)

ἐφ' 195× (3.7%)

τοῦτο 116× (1.9%)

'' 116× (1.9%)

περὶ 113× (2.2%)

ἀπὸ 108× (2.1%)

--- 108× (2.1%)

αὐτοὺσ 95× (1.6%)

εἰσ 93× (1.8%)

ראשו רֹאשׁוֹ׃

the head of himself

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

ראש

rôʼsh

Definition

the head (as most easily shaken), whether literal or figurative (in many applications, of place, time, rank, itc.)

Root

from an unused root apparently meaning to shake;

Exhaustive

from an unused root apparently meaning to shake; the head (as most easily shaken), whether literal or figurative (in many applications, of place, time, rank, itc.); band, beginning, captain, chapiter, chief(-est place, man, things), company, end, [idiom] every (man), excellent, first, forefront, (be-)head, height, (on) high(-est part, (priest)), [idiom] lead, [idiom] poor, principal, ruler, sum, top.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H7218

הו

Definition

his, personal posessive - noun suffix: 3rd person masculine singular

Root

Exhaustive

Personal posessive pronoun - suffix for nouns, adjectives and passive participles: 3rd person masculine singular

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H9023

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

רֹאשׁ

noun • Strongs / High • Page 1330

Poppy (reference to DEUT. 32, 32).

רֹאשׁ

noun / masculine • Root ראש • Strongs / High • Page 1311

1. Prop. skull; hence head, of men or animals. 2. Metaphor of things: the point, summit, capital, scepter, the highest. Fig. principal, highest (as of oil or feelings), a prince, king, principal person. The sum, total, multitude. The foremost, first, beginning.

רֹאשׁ

noun masculine • Root ראש • Strongs / High • Page 1312

1. Source of a river; beginning, commencement (of time). 2. Poison (רוֹשׁ), poisonous berries/water; fig. viciousness.

רֹאשׁ

noun proper • Strongs / High • Page 1312

n. p. of a people (Rosh) belonging to the Scythian king Gog, dwelling in the high north (identified by some classical writers with Russians/Roxolani).

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

רָאשׁ

adjective • Page 602

poor. See רוּשׁ.

רֹאשׁ

noun masculine • Root ראש ראש • Page 603

1. a head. —נָתַן בְּרֹאשׁ to let come on the head of any one, Ezek. 9: 10, 11: 21. בְּרֵאשֵׁינוּ with the danger of our heads, 1 Chr. 12: 19. 2. the first or highest in its kind. Hence (1.) a head, chief, leader (1 Sam. 15: 17, Ex. 6: 14, 25). (2.) a chief city, metropolis (Josh. 11: 10). (3.) the highest place, first rank—כֹּהֵן הָרֹאשׁ the high-priest (2 Chr. 19: 11). (4.) the top or highest part, as of a mountain (Gen. 8: 5), of a tower (Gen. 11: 4). Metaphorically רֹאשׁ שִׂמְחָה the highest joy (Ps. 137: 6). 3. the first; e. g. רֹאשׁ הַחֳדָשִׁים the first month (Ex. 12: 2). 4. the sum, the whole number (Lev. 5: 24, Ps. 119: 160). 5. a company, multitude, host (Judg. 7: 16, 1 Sam. 11: 11).

רֹאשׁ

prop. er name • Page 603

Proper name of a Scythian people, mentioned in connexion with Meshech and Tubal, in the northern parts of Asia Minor (Ezek. 38: 2, 3. 39: 1). The Byzantine writers speak of a rude and savage people about the northern Taurus, called Pōs, (Russians?).

Noun common both singular construct, Suffix pronominal third person masculine singular

LXX: κεφαλὴν κεφαλῆσ ἄρχοντεσ κεφαλήν κεφαλὰσ

LXX Usage Statistics

H7218a:

κεφαλὴν 123× (18.7%)

κεφαλῆσ 55× (8.5%)

ἄρχοντεσ 50× (8.4%)

κεφαλήν 34× (5.2%)

κεφαλὰσ 29× (4.4%)

ἄρχων 21× (3.4%)

κεφαλὴ 19× (2.8%)

ἀρχῆσ 15× (2.3%)

κορυφῆσ 14× (2.0%)

κορυφὴν 13× (2.0%)

RBT Translation:

No verse found

RBT Paraphrase:
No verse found

Julia Smith Literal 1876 Translation:
And a man of Benjamin will run from the array, and he will come to Shiloh in that day; and his garments rent and earth upon his head.

LITV Translation:
And a man of Benjamin ran out of the battle line and came to Shiloh on that day. And his clothes were torn, and earth on his head.

Brenton Septuagint Translation:
And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the battle, and he came to Shiloh on that day: and his clothes were rent, and earth was upon his head.