Grammar Analysis: Genesis 15:13–16¶
Text¶
Hebrew (BHS) — vv. 13–16:
- v.13 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לְאַבְרָ֗ם יָדֹ֨עַ תֵּדַ֜ע כִּי־גֵ֣ר׀ יִהְיֶ֣ה זַרְעֲךָ֗ בְּאֶ֨רֶץ֙ לֹ֣א לָהֶ֔ם וַעֲבָד֖וּם וְעִנּ֣וּ אֹתָ֑ם אַרְבַּ֥ע מֵאֹ֖ות שָׁנָֽה׃
- v.14 וְגַ֧ם אֶת־הַגֹּ֛וי אֲשֶׁ֥ר יַעֲבֹ֖דוּ דָּ֣ן אָנֹ֑כִי וְאַחֲרֵי־כֵ֥ן יֵצְא֖וּ בִּרְכֻ֥שׁ גָּדֹֽול׃
- v.15 וְאַתָּ֛ה תָּבֹ֥וא אֶל־אֲבֹתֶ֖יךָ בְּשָׁלֹ֑ום תִּקָּבֵ֖ר בְּשֵׂיבָ֥ה טֹובָֽה׃
- v.16 וְדֹ֥ור רְבִיעִ֖י יָשׁ֣וּבוּ הֵ֑נָּה כִּ֧י לֹא־שָׁלֵ֛ם עֲוֹ֥ן הָאֱמֹרִ֖י עַד־הֵֽנָּה׃
KJV:
- v.13 "And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land [that is] not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;"
- v.14 "And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance."
- v.15 "And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age."
- v.16 "But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites [is] not yet full."
Word-by-Word Parsing¶
Source: hebrew_parser.py --verse "Gen 15:13" / …15:14 / …15:15 / …15:16 (ETCBC BHSA).
Genesis 15:13¶
| # | Hebrew | Lemma | Parsing | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | וַ | ו | Conj | and |
| 2 | יֹּ֣אמֶר | אמר | Verb.Qal.Wayq.3ms | and he said |
| 3 | לְ | ל | Prep | to |
| 4 | אַבְרָ֗ם | אברם | PropN.ms.Abs | Abram |
| 5 | יָדֹ֨עַ | ידע | Verb.Qal.InfAbs | know (inf. abs.) |
| 6 | תֵּדַ֜ע | ידע | Verb.Qal.Impf.2ms | thou shalt know |
| 7 | כִּי | כי | Conj | that |
| 8 | גֵ֣ר | גר | Noun.ms.Abs | sojourner / stranger |
| 9 | יִהְיֶ֣ה | היה | Verb.Qal.Impf.3ms | will be |
| 10 | זַרְעֲךָ֗ | זרע | Noun.ms.Abs +2ms | thy seed |
| 11 | בְּ | ב | Prep | in |
| 12 | אֶ֨רֶץ֙ | ארץ | Noun.s.Abs | a land |
| 13 | לֹ֣א | לא | Neg | not |
| 14 | לָהֶ֔ם | ל | Prep +3mp | to them / theirs |
| 15 | וַ | ו | Conj | and |
| 16 | עֲבָד֖וּם | עבד | Verb.Qal.Perf.3p +3mp (weqatal) | and they shall serve them |
| 17 | וְ | ו | Conj | and |
| 18 | עִנּ֣וּ | ענה | Verb.Piel.Perf.3p (weqatal) | and they shall afflict |
| 19 | אֹתָ֑ם | את | Prep +3mp (obj. marker) | them |
| 20 | אַרְבַּ֥ע | ארבע | Noun.s.Cst | four |
| 21 | מֵאֹ֖ות | מאה | Noun.fp.Abs | hundred |
| 22 | שָׁנָֽה | שׁנה | Noun.fs.Abs | year |
Genesis 15:14¶
| # | Hebrew | Lemma | Parsing | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | וְ | ו | Conj | and |
| 2 | גַ֧ם | גם | Adv | also / even |
| 3 | אֶת | את | Prep (obj. marker) | — |
| 4 | הַ | ה | Art | the |
| 5 | גֹּ֛וי | גוי | Noun.ms.Abs | nation |
| 6 | אֲשֶׁ֥ר | אשׁר | Conj (rel.) | which |
| 7 | יַעֲבֹ֖דוּ | עבד | Verb.Qal.Impf.3mp | they shall serve |
| 8 | דָּ֣ן | דין | Verb.Qal.Ptcp.ms.Abs | judging |
| 9 | אָנֹ֑כִי | אנכי | PersPron.1s | I |
| 10 | וְ | ו | Conj | and |
| 11 | אַחֲרֵי | אחר | Noun.mp.Cst | after |
| 12 | כֵ֥ן | כן | Adv | thus |
| 13 | יֵצְא֖וּ | יצא | Verb.Qal.Impf.3mp | they shall go out |
| 14 | בִּ | ב | Prep | with |
| 15 | רְכֻ֥שׁ | רכושׁ | Noun.ms.Abs | substance / property |
| 16 | גָּדֹֽול | גדול | Adj.ms.Abs | great |
Genesis 15:15¶
| # | Hebrew | Lemma | Parsing | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | וְ | ו | Conj | and |
| 2 | אַתָּ֛ה | אתה | PersPron.2ms | thou |
| 3 | תָּבֹ֥וא | בוא | Verb.Qal.Impf.2ms | thou shalt come / go |
| 4 | אֶל | אל | Prep | to |
| 5 | אֲבֹתֶ֖יךָ | אב | Noun.mp.Abs +2ms | thy fathers |
| 6 | בְּ | ב | Prep | in |
| 7 | שָׁלֹ֑ום | שׁלום | Noun.ms.Abs | peace |
| 8 | תִּקָּבֵ֖ר | קבר | Verb.Niphal.Impf.2ms | thou shalt be buried |
| 9 | בְּ | ב | Prep | in |
| 10 | שֵׂיבָ֥ה | שׂיבה | Noun.fs.Abs | old age / grey-headedness |
| 11 | טֹובָֽה | טוב | Adj.fs.Abs | good |
Genesis 15:16¶
| # | Hebrew | Lemma | Parsing | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | וְ | ו | Conj | and |
| 2 | דֹ֥ור | דור | Noun.ms.Abs | generation |
| 3 | רְבִיעִ֖י | רביעי | Adj.ms.Abs | fourth |
| 4 | יָשׁ֣וּבוּ | שׁוב | Verb.Qal.Impf.3mp | they shall return |
| 5 | הֵ֑נָּה | הנה | Adv | hither |
| 6 | כִּ֧י | כי | Conj | for |
| 7 | לֹא | לא | Neg | not |
| 8 | שָׁלֵ֛ם | שׁלם | Adj.ms.Abs | complete / full |
| 9 | עֲוֹ֥ן | עון | Noun.ms.Cst | iniquity (of) |
| 10 | הָ | ה | Art | the |
| 11 | אֱמֹרִ֖י | אמרי | Adj.ms.Abs (gentilic) | Amorite |
| 12 | עַד | עד | Prep | until |
| 13 | הֵֽנָּה | הנה | Adv | here / hitherto |
Clause Structure¶
Source: hebrew_parser.py --clause "Gen 15:13" and …"Gen 15:16" (ETCBC BHSA tags).
v.13 — six clauses (speech-report + content)¶
| # | Type | Domain | Text | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Way0 | N (narr.) | וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לְאַבְרָ֗ם | wayyiqtol speech-frame |
| 2 | xYq0 | Q (quot.) | יָדֹ֨עַ תֵּדַ֜ע | InfAbs + Impf. emphasis |
| 3 | xYqX | Q | כִּי גֵ֣ר יִהְיֶ֣ה זַרְעֲךָ֗ בְּאֶ֨רֶץ֙ | content-clause under kî |
| 4 | NmCl | Q | לֹ֣א לָהֶ֔ם | verbless rel.-gapped NmCl ("[which is] not theirs") |
| 5 | WQt0 | Q | וַעֲבָד֖וּם | weqatal continuation |
| 6 | WQt0 | Q | וְעִנּ֣וּ אֹתָ֑ם אַרְבַּ֥ע מֵאֹ֖ות שָׁנָֽה | weqatal + acc.-of-duration |
Key shift: the main predicate יִהְיֶ֣ה is Qal imperfect (yiqtol = non-perfective future), but the two follow-up verbs עֲבָד֖וּם and עִנּ֣וּ are morphologically perfect (qatal) — functioning as weqatal (waw-consecutive perfect) to extend the future/modal force of the preceding yiqtol (GKC §112; IBHS §32.1–2; Joüon §119). The morphology is perfect; the syntax is futural.
v.16 — two clauses¶
| # | Type | Domain | Text | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WXYq | Q | וְדֹ֥ור רְבִיעִ֖י יָשׁ֣וּבוּ הֵ֑נָּה | waw + fronted Subj + yiqtol: return-prediction |
| 2 | AjCl | Q | כִּ֧י לֹא שָׁלֵ֛ם עֲוֹ֥ן הָאֱמֹרִ֖י עַד־הֵֽנָּה | kî-adjunct verbless clause |
Clause 2 is verbless (Adjective Clause, BHSA "AjCl"): šālēm is an adjective (Adj.ms.Abs), not a verb. The Amorite-iniquity clause has no finite verb at all — no perfect, no imperfect. Tense is unmarked; context supplies the temporal value "is not yet full [at the moment Abram is addressed]."
Construct Chains¶
Source: hebrew_parser.py --construct "Gen 15:13" / …15:16".
- v.13 אַרְבַּ֥ע מֵאֹ֖ות שָׁנָֽה ("four hundred years") — three-member numerical apposition with אַרְבַּע (Cst "four") governing מֵאֹות (Abs "hundred") and שָׁנָה (Abs "year"). The first term is construct; the two absolutes stand in numerical-apposition rather than a cascading possessive chain (Gesenius §134 on cardinal numerals; Waltke-O'Connor §15.2.5 on apposition with cardinals).
- v.16 עֲוֹ֥ן הָאֱמֹרִ֖י ("iniquity of the Amorite") — two-member chain: עֲוֹן (Noun.ms.Cst) + הָאֱמֹרִי (Adj.ms.Abs, definite with article). The nomen rectum is definite ⇒ the whole chain is definite: "the iniquity of the Amorite(s)". The Amorite is presented as a corporate singular (gentilic singular + article), matching the "generation" singular of the preceding clause.
Key Grammatical Features¶
1. yāḏōaʿ tēḏaʿ (v.13) — Qal Infinitive Absolute + Imperfect emphatic¶
- Form: Qal InfAbs יָדֹ֨עַ (unvaryingly anarthrous, preverbal, no person/number marking, fixed stem-vowel pattern qātôl) + Qal yiqtol 2ms תֵּדַ֜ע of the same root ידע (H3045).
- Function: The preverbal InfAbs + finite verb construction intensifies the verb's modality (GKC §113n; Joüon §123d–l; IBHS §35.3.1f). With a future-modal yiqtol this yields a solemn assurance — KJV "know of a surety," RSV "know of a certainty," "surely know." The construction is not a poetic flourish but a formal oath-register rhetorical device.
- Significance: The InfAbs+Impf opens the divine speech and covers everything that follows in vv. 13–16 with an oath-strength guarantee. It parallels the same idiom at Gen 2:16–17 מֹות תָּמוּת, 1 Sam 14:44, 1 Kgs 2:42 — locus where YHWH or a king pledges that the next clause will happen.
- Grammar reference: hebrew/infinitive-absolute-intensification; imperfect aspect hebrew/qal-imperfect.
- Word study: H3045-yada.
2. yihyeh + wa-ʿăbādûm + wə-ʿinnû (v.13) — yiqtol → weqatal chain (futural)¶
- Form: Main predicate יִהְיֶ֣ה (Qal.Impf.3ms of היה) followed by two waw-consecutive perfects:
- עֲבָד֖וּם = Qal.Perf.3mp + 3mp obj. suffix ("and they shall serve them")
- עִנּ֣וּ = Piel.Perf.3mp ("and they shall afflict")
- Function: Despite the qatal morphology, these are weqatal forms whose syntactic role is to continue the future/modal force of the preceding yiqtol (GKC §112; Joüon §119). The Piel of ענה (H6031, "to afflict, humble, oppress") adds factitive-intensifying force ("bring-about-a-state of lowness") over against Qal ענה "be-lowly." Subject-number shifts from sg. זַרְעֲךָ ("thy seed" — collective singular with 3ms verb yihyeh) to pl. ("they shall serve … afflict") by ad-sensum agreement.
- Significance: The three-verb chain stranger → serve → afflict gives the tripartite shape of the sojourn-oppression prophecy. Piel ענה reuses the same verb that marks Egypt's oppression narratively at Exo 1:11–12, linking prediction to fulfilment lexically. See also Num 14:34 where Qal yiqtol tiśʾû and weqatal wîdaʿtem form the same future-chain syntax.
- Grammar reference: hebrew/syntax-waw-conjunction, hebrew/qal-imperfect, hebrew/weqatal-apodosis-vow (weqatal-after-yiqtol pattern).
- Word study: H1961-hayah.
3. ʾarbaʿ mēʾôt šānāh (v.13) — accusative of duration (400 years)¶
- Form: Cardinal construct אַרְבַּע (Noun.s.Cst "four") + absolute plural מֵאֹות ("hundreds") + absolute singular שָׁנָה ("year"). The counted noun is in the singular after "hundred(s)," following the normal Hebrew pattern for numerals ≥ 200 (GKC §134g; Joüon §142n). The full phrase stands in adverbial accusative of extent/duration position — no preposition, no lamed.
- Function: Accusative of duration answers "for how long?" and externalises a bounded span over the entire weqatal chain (serve + afflict). It is a single time-envelope over the whole prediction, not merely over the last verb.
- Significance — the 400/430-year count: The 400-year figure here is repeated with the same syntax at Acts 7:6 (ἔτη τετρακόσια, Stephen quoting this verse in LXX-form); Exo 12:40 gives the kindred-but-distinct figure 430 years for the actual sojourn (מוֹשַׁב "dwelling"). Gen 15:13's 400 is a round prophetic number applied to the entire seed-affliction; Exo 12:40's 430 is a measured chronological span. Both are accusatives of duration. Which events are counted (Abram's call? Isaac's birth? Joseph's descent? the beginning of affliction?) is not specified by the grammar — the syntax fixes the duration but not its termini.
- Grammar reference: accusative-of-duration entry not yet canonicalised (gap — candidate for
hebrew/accusative-of-duration.md; Greek parallel exists at greek/aorist-infinitive-accusative-of-duration). - Word study: H3117-yowm, H8141-shaneh.
4. dān ʾānōkî (v.14) — Qal participle + fronted pronoun (emphatic divine adjudication)¶
- Form: Qal Ptcp.ms.Abs of דין (H1777 "judge") + 1cs pronoun אָנֹכִי (the "heavy" form of ʾănî). Participle precedes the pronoun; the pronoun follows in topic-focus position.
- Function: ʾānōkî (vs. shorter ʾănî) typically introduces solemn divine self-identification (Exo 20:2 אָנֹכִי יהוה אֱלֹהֶיךָ; Gen 28:13). The Ptcp+Pron sequence here is essentially a verbless predicate-nominal construction ("judging-one [am] I") with futural/imminent force — the Ptcp of dîn + subject pronoun forming the equivalent of a performative oath: "I will judge."
- Significance: The grammar lifts the judgment-of-the-nation above the surrounding imperfect-weqatal mainline. v. 14 is framed as YHWH's personal, emphatic self-bound act ("I Myself will be the judge"), distinct from the impersonal "they shall serve / afflict" of v. 13. The ptcp+pronoun idiom gives imminent-future state — not merely prediction, but self-commitment.
- Grammar reference: none yet canonicalised for Ptcp + ʾānōkî; partial overlap with hebrew/symbol-decoding-predicate-nominal verbless-clause grammar.
5. tiqqābēr (v.15) — Niphal imperfect 2ms (passive future)¶
- Form: Niphal.Impf.2ms תִּקָּבֵ֖ר of קבר (H6912 "bury"). Niphal morphology: prefix ת + doubled/assimilated nun + theme vowel ē (tiqqābēr ← tinqābēr). Niphal of קבר is lexicalised passive ("be buried").
- Function: Straight passive — "you shall be buried." Paired with active Qal.Impf.2ms תָּבֹא ("you shall come/go [to your fathers]") in the same verse, producing an active→passive pair describing the two moments of Abram's death-and-burial.
- Significance: The Qal/Niphal active-passive pair within one verse is a standard Hebrew way of marking a biographical closure as a decreed-but-peaceful event. The accompanying adjunct בְּשָׁלוֹם ("in peace") is anchored by the passive verb — Abram's personal end is grammatically quiet even as the grammar around it (vv. 13, 16) is violent.
- Grammar reference: hebrew/stem-niphal, hebrew/niphal-imperfect-divine-denial (Niphal-imperfect morphology exemplified).
6. dôr rəbîʿî (v.16) — "fourth generation" — WXYq return-prediction¶
- Form: וְדֹור רְבִיעִי — Conj + Noun.ms.Abs דור (H1755) + ordinal Adj.ms.Abs רְבִיעִי. Clause type WXYq (waw + fronted non-verbal X + yiqtol): the subject is fronted for topical contrast with the preceding 400-year span.
- Function of dôr: In Hebrew, דור (H1755) is a flexible time-span term, not a fixed calendar unit. It can denote:
- a lifespan ("a generation" as the life-arc of an individual, Job 42:16 "four generations" tracked as Job's remaining life);
- an age-cohort (Ps 78:6; Deut 32:5, 20);
- an epoch / era (Isa 51:8 dôr dôrîm; Ps 33:11 ledōr wādōr);
- a genealogical link between ancestor and descendant (Gen 7:1 "in this generation").
- Lexical range from lifespan-of-Job (~140 years) down to shorter filial spacing — Gen 15:16's dôr must be calibrated against the 400-year frame of v. 13. Four × 100 ≈ 400, which fits the dôr-as-century reading; four × ~80–100 ≈ 320–400 also fits. Genealogies in Exo 6:16–20 (Levi → Kohath → Amram → Moses = four generations) provide one canonical calibration; Num 32:13 (Israel wanders till "all that generation… was consumed") provides another.
- Significance: The grammar gives only (a) the cardinal position ("the fourth" in a series) and (b) a return-destination הֵנָּה ("hither" — to Canaan, the land of the present speech-act). It does not fix the length of the dôr. That is carried by the 400-year accusative of v. 13, by the Exo 6 / Num 14 genealogical data, and by Exo 12:40. The two numbers (400 years / 4 generations) are co-predicated of the same event; the syntax of Gen 15 does not tell the reader how to reconcile them — any reconciliation is hermeneutical, not grammatical.
- Grammar reference: hebrew/syntax-wx-qatal-circumstantial (WX-yiqtol is the futural analogue of WX-qatal circumstantial); fronted-subject topicalization.
- Word studies: no existing entry for H1755 דור (dôr) — gap, high-priority candidate for
word-studies/H1755-dowr.md; related H8141 שׁנה covered at H8141-shaneh; H3318-yatsa (v.14 yēṣəʾû); H1961-hayah (v.13 yihyeh).
7. lōʾ šālēm ʿăwōn hā-ʾĕmōrî (v.16) — verbless AjCl with stative adjective šālēm¶
- Form: The clause has no verb. ETCBC/BHSA tags it AjCl (Adjective Clause), a subtype of NmCl where the predicate is an adjective.
- Conj כִּי ("for")
- Negation לֹא ("not")
- PreC שָׁלֵם — Adj.ms.Abs of שׁלם (H8003, "complete, whole, finished, full")
- Subj עֲוֹן הָאֱמֹרִי — definite construct chain ("the iniquity of the Amorite")
- Time adjunct עַד־הֵנָּה ("up to here" = "up to this point / as yet")
- Function of šālēm: This is the adjective šālēm (H8003, "complete, full"), not the Piel/Qal verb šillēm / šālam (H7999, "to be at peace, be completed, repay"). The distinction matters:
- H8003 שָׁלֵם (adj.) = "whole, intact, complete, at-full-measure" (Gen 15:16 lōʾ šālēm; Deut 25:15 אֶבֶן שְׁלֵמָה "a full/perfect stone-weight"; Deut 27:6 אֲבָנִים שְׁלֵמוֹת "whole stones"; 1 Kgs 6:7 אֶבֶן־שְׁלֵמָה "stone made ready"; Prov 11:1 אֶבֶן שְׁלֵמָה "a just weight"; the noun שָׁלוֹם šālôm H7965 is the closest semantic neighbour but a distinct lexeme).
- H7999 שׁלם (verb) Piel = "to repay, requite, fulfil"; Qal = "to be complete, at peace." Same consonantal root; BHSA treats the forms distinctly by part-of-speech.
- Significance: Because the clause is verbless, there is no grammatical tense marker on the central claim. The temporal value "[iniquity] is not yet complete" comes entirely from the phrase ʿad-hēnnāh ("up to this point / as yet / hitherto") — the Hebrew equivalent of English "not yet." The grammar offers a state-description (the Amorite iniquity is currently under full-measure), not a dynamic prediction. This is an aspect-neutral stative predication, which is why English translators must add the implicit is/is yet ("iniquity is not yet full"). What the clause licenses:
- A measured or filled-up conception of guilt (iniquity as a vessel with a set capacity, paralleling Dan 8:23 עַד־הָתֵם הַפֹּשְׁעִים "when transgressors have come to full-measure"; Matt 23:32 πληρώσατε τὸ μέτρον τῶν πατέρων ὑμῶν "fill up the measure of your fathers"; 1 Thess 2:16 εἰς τὸ ἀναπληρῶσαι αὐτῶν τὰς ἁμαρτίας πάντοτε).
- A delay-reason for the 400-year span: the imperfect verb יָשׁוּבוּ ("they shall return") of the preceding clause has as its grammatical cause (כִּי) not Israel's unreadiness but the Amorite's unripeness for judgment.
- Construct chain: ʿăwōn hā-ʾĕmōrî definite by anchor-definiteness of the gentilic-singular-with-article הָאֱמֹרִי. "Amorite" is grammatically a collective singular (Adj.ms.Abs functioning substantively, same as הַכְּנַעֲנִי, הַחִתִּי in the same contexts) representing the whole population as a single corporate entity (cross-reference hebrew/corporate-solidarity).
- Grammar reference: adjective clause / verbless NmCl — see hebrew/symbol-decoding-predicate-nominal for the verbless-clause family; tense-neutral stative grammar has no canonical entry yet.
- Word studies: H5771-avon (ʿāwōn, "iniquity"); no existing entry for H8003 שָׁלֵם — gap, high-priority candidate for
word-studies/H8003-shalem.md(especially given its KJV translation here as "full" and its distinctness from H7999 שׁלם and H7965 שׁלום); no entry for H567 אֱמֹרִי (Amorite) — candidate word-study.
Aspect/Tense Map of the Four Verses (summary)¶
| Verse | Verb / Pred | Parsing | Aspect/Tense role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | וַיֹּאמֶר | Qal.Wayq.3ms | narrative mainline (past) |
| 13 | יָדֹעַ תֵּדַע | InfAbs + Qal.Impf.2ms | emphatic future/modal |
| 13 | יִהְיֶה | Qal.Impf.3ms | simple future |
| 13 | וַעֲבָדוּם | Qal.Perf.3p +3mp | weqatal = continuation of future |
| 13 | וְעִנּוּ | Piel.Perf.3p | weqatal = continuation of future |
| 14 | יַעֲבֹדוּ | Qal.Impf.3mp | future (relative) |
| 14 | דָּן אָנֹכִי | Qal.Ptcp.ms + 1cs pron | imminent-future / performative state |
| 14 | יֵצְאוּ | Qal.Impf.3mp | future |
| 15 | תָּבוֹא | Qal.Impf.2ms | future |
| 15 | תִּקָּבֵר | Niphal.Impf.2ms | passive future |
| 16 | יָשׁוּבוּ | Qal.Impf.3mp | future |
| 16 | שָׁלֵם | Adj.ms.Abs (no verb) | verbless stative — tense-neutral ("is/has been/will be [not] complete") |
Pattern: the passage has no finite qatal (perfect) that is not a weqatal. Every independent verb is either (a) wayyiqtol in the narrative frame (v. 13a וַיֹּאמֶר), (b) yiqtol (imperfect, future/modal), (c) participle dān (imminent-state), or (d) absent altogether (v. 16 verbless). The absence of true perfects is itself diagnostic: this is pure prophecy, discourse in the futural/modal register, anchored only to the moment of the wayyiqtol speech-frame. The one exception — the verbless lōʾ šālēm clause — is stative, describing a presently-holding condition that functions as the reason for the 400-year delay.
The Delay-of-Judgment Syntax (Summary)¶
Two clauses bear the theological weight of vv. 13–16, and both have unusual grammar:
- v. 13b–c: yiqtol + weqatal + weqatal + accusative-of-duration — a single syntactic unit encompassing "sojourn + servitude + affliction" under one 400-year time-envelope. Morphology is "perfect" but function is future; duration is accusative but covers the whole chain. No preposition on ʾarbaʿ mēʾôt šānāh — the phrase simply sits in the acc. slot adverbially.
- v. 16b: a verbless adjective-clause negated with lōʾ and bounded by ʿad-hēnnāh, giving the reason (kî) for the delay of return. No verb = no tense = state-description: šālēm is a measure predicate ("complete, full-up, at-capacity"), applied to ʿăwōn hā-ʾĕmōrî. The delay is grammatically not about Israel (who are simply subjects of the future yāšûbû); it is about the Amorite's unfilled iniquity-measure.
Reading grammatically, v. 16 says: "And a fourth dôr they shall return hither — because the Amorite's iniquity [is] not-at-full-measure as-yet." The predicate šālēm is what licenses the theological category of "full measure of iniquity" (cf. Dan 8:23; 2 Macc 6:14; Matt 23:32; 1 Thess 2:16) — but the application of that category to any specific historical moment (the Conquest, Jerusalem AD 70, final judgment) is extra-grammatical. The grammar provides the shape of the delay-of-judgment reasoning; it does not close the hermeneutical question of when any given iniquity-measure reaches שָׁלֵם.
Cross-References¶
- Parallel 400/430-year references: Exo 12:40–41 (430 years, môšāb "dwelling"), Acts 7:6 (LXX-shaped 400 years, Stephen), Gal 3:17 (Paul's 430-year reckoning from covenant to Law). Different numbers, different termini; all are accusatives/aor.inf. of duration.
- Day-for-year background: the accusative-of-duration grammar here sits in the same time-counting family as the day-for-year formula in num-14-34 and ezk-4-4-6, though Gen 15:13 is a literal count, not a symbolic unit-conversion.
- Generation (dôr) parallel usages: Gen 7:1; Exo 6:16–20 (Levi–Moses four-generation genealogy); Num 14:33–34 (wilderness generation); Num 32:13; Deut 32:5, 20; Ps 78:6, 95:10.
- Oath/assurance parallel (InfAbs+Impf): Gen 2:17 מוֹת תָּמוּת; 1 Sam 14:44; 1 Kgs 2:37, 42; Jer 22:10.
- "Full measure of iniquity" lexical cluster: Dan 8:23 עַד־הָתֵם הַפֹּשְׁעִים; 2 Macc 6:14 πληρῶσαι τὰς ἁμαρτίας; Matt 23:32 πληρώσατε τὸ μέτρον; 1 Thess 2:16 εἰς τὸ ἀναπληρῶσαι; Rev 14:15, 18 ἤκμασεν / ἐξηράνθη harvest-ripeness metaphors.
- Verbless-clause grammar: cross-reference deut-6-4 (six-word verbless Shema), psa-82-1-6 (verbless NmCl of divine-council), dan-8-26 (agent-less Niphal + verbless predicate authentication).
- Corporate-singular gentilic: cf. hebrew/corporate-solidarity (gôy, ʿam, bayit, ʾemōrî).
- Grammar library:
- InfAbs + finite verb intensification: hebrew/infinitive-absolute-intensification
- Qal yiqtol / non-perfective prefix conjugation: hebrew/qal-imperfect
- Waw conjunction / weqatal continuation: hebrew/syntax-waw-conjunction, hebrew/weqatal-apodosis-vow
- Niphal stem: hebrew/stem-niphal
- Verbless / symbol-decoding NmCl pattern: hebrew/symbol-decoding-predicate-nominal
- Corporate-singular semantics: hebrew/corporate-solidarity
- Word studies (existing):
- ידע "know": H3045-yada
- היה "be, become": H1961-hayah
- יצא "go out": H3318-yatsa
- נשׂא "bear" (semantic neighbour to ʿāwōn-bearing): H5375-nasa
- עָוֹן "iniquity": H5771-avon
- יום / שנה "day / year": H3117-yowm, H8141-shaneh
- Word-study gaps flagged for future entries:
- H1755 דור (dôr, "generation") — central to v. 16; no entry yet.
- H8003 שָׁלֵם (šālēm, "complete, full") — adjective form, distinct from H7999 verb and H7965 noun; high priority given KJV's "full" rendering here.
- H567 אֱמֹרִי (ʾĕmōrî, "Amorite") — gentilic-singular collective.
- H6031 ענה (ʿānāh, "afflict" Piel) — Piel factitive oppression verb, same root at Exo 1:11–12.
- H5647 עבד (ʿābad, "serve") — serve / enslave lexeme.
- H7999 שׁלם / H7965 שלום — semantic neighbours of H8003 šālēm worth canonical contrastive treatment alongside it.
Methodological Note¶
Hebrew parser tool output ran against local-machine memory constraints on the ETCBC/BHSA TF load (all four verses parsed successfully, but only with between-call python-process cleanup to free memory). The BHSA tags used here are the parser's verdict, not harmonised to commentary tradition. In particular the v. 16 šālēm is tagged Adj.ms.Abs, not a verb form — this is the machine-disciplined reading against which "not yet full" / "not yet complete" translations are defended as adjectival-predicate rather than stative-verbal.