Chapter 20 — Qal Infinitive Construct in Context

For each highlighted IC form: (a) Root, (b) Root class, (c) Preposition, (d) Function. Click ▶ Answer to reveal; click again to hide.

Passage 1 — Genesis 2:16–17 (The Garden Command)

Gen 2:16–17

וַיְצַ֞ו יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהִ֛ים עַל-הָאָדָ֖ם לֵאמֹ֑ר מִכֹּ֛ל עֵ֥ץ הַגָּ֖ן אָכֹ֥ל תֹּאכֵֽל

"And the LORD God commanded the man, saying: 'From every tree of the garden you may surely eat…'"

#	Form	Root	Root Class	Prep	Function
1	לֵאמֹ֑ר
אמר · I-aleph · לְ · Quotative — "saying"; tsere under ל (ל + hateph-seghol = tsere); introduces direct speech; ~2,600× OT

Passage 2 — Genesis 11:5 (Babel)

Gen 11:5

וַיֵּ֣רֶד יְהוָ֔ה לִרְאֹ֥ת אֶת-הָעִ֖יר וְאֶת-הַמִּגְדָּ֑ל

"And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower…"

#	Form	Root	Root Class	Prep	Function
2	לִרְאֹ֥ת
ראה · III-ה · לְ · Purpose — "to see"; holem-taw spelling; לִ + IC marks purpose of God's descent to Babel

Passage 3 — Genesis 19:22 (Sodom)

Gen 19:22

כִּ֣י לֹ֤א אוּכַל֙ לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת דָּבָ֔ר עַ֥ד בֹּאֲךָ֖ שָֽׁמָּה

"For I am not able to do anything until you arrive there."

#	Form	Root	Root Class	Prep	Function
3	לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת
עשה · III-ה + I-gutt. · לְ · Complementary — "to do"; completes יכל ("able to"); chateph-patach under ע; וֹת ending

Passage 4 — Genesis 37:18 (Joseph's Brothers)

Gen 37:18

וַיִּֽתְנַכְּל֣וּ אֹת֔וֹ לַהֲמִית֖וֹ

"…they conspired against him to kill him."

#	Form	Root	Root Class	Prep	Function
4	לַהֲמִית֖וֹ
מות · Biconsonantal (Hiphil IC) · לְ · Purpose — "to kill him"; Hiphil IC + 3ms obj. suffix; purpose of brothers' conspiracy

Passage 5 — Genesis 39:18–19 (Potiphar's Wife)

Gen 39:18–19

וַיְהִ֣י כְשָׁמְע֣וֹ אֶת-קוֹלִ֗י וַיַּעֲזֹ֤ב בִּגְדוֹ֙ אֶצְלִ֔י

"And as/when he heard my voice, he left his garment beside me…"

וַיְהִי֩ כִשְׁמֹ֨עַ אֲדֹנָ֜יו אֶת-דִּבְרֵ֣י אִשְׁתּ֗וֹ … וַיִּ֥חַר אַפּֽוֹ

"And when his master heard the words of his wife … his anger burned."

#	Form	Root	Root Class	Prep	Function
5	כְשָׁמְע֣וֹ
שמע · Strong B (gutt. R3) · כְּ · Temporal (as/when) — IC + 3ms subject suffix; "as he heard"; שָׁמְעוֹ = IC construct + subject suffix (shewa shifts to qamets under stress)
6	כִשְׁמֹ֨עַ
שמע · Strong B (gutt. R3) · כְּ · Temporal (when) — bare IC (no suffix); patach at gutt. R3; standard temporal clause

Passage 6 — Exodus 3:8 (The Burning Bush)

Exo 3:8

וָאֵרֵ֞ד לְהַצִּיל֣וֹ מִיַּ֣ד מִצְרַ֗יִם וּלְהַעֲלֹת֤וֹ מִן-הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ הַהִ֔וא

"And I came down to deliver him from the hand of Egypt and to bring him up from that land…"

Note: Both forms are Hiphil IC (causative stem), not Qal — included to develop recognition of Hiphil IC patterns, which use a הַ– prefix.

#	Form	Root	Root Class	Prep	Function
7	לְהַצִּיל֣וֹ
נצל · Hiphil IC (I-gutt.) · לְ · Purpose — "to deliver him"; הַ– prefix marks Hiphil; + 3ms obj. suffix; God's stated purpose
8	לְהַעֲלֹת֤וֹ
עלה · Hiphil IC (III-ה + I-gutt.) · לְ · Purpose — "to bring him up"; parallel purpose clause; + 3ms obj. suffix

Passage 7 — Exodus 19:1 (Arrival at Sinai)

Exo 19:1

בַּחֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֔י לְצֵ֥את בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם … בָּ֖אוּ מִדְבַּ֥ר סִינָֽי

"In the third month after the going out of the children of Israel from the land of Egypt … they came into the wilderness of Sinai."

#	Form	Root	Root Class	Prep	Function
9	לְצֵ֥את
יצא · I-י + III-א · לְ · Epexegetical/Temporal — "the going out of"; I-י IC form (צֵאת = tsere + aleph + taw); follows temporal noun "month" — counts from the Exodus event

Passage 8 — Ecclesiastes 3:1–2 (A Time for Everything)

Ecc 3:1–2

עֵ֥ת לָלֶ֖דֶת וְעֵ֣ת לָמ֑וּת עֵ֤ת לִנְטֹ֙עַ֙ וְעֵ֣ת לַעֲק֔וֹר נָטֽוּעַ

"A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted."

#	Form	Root	Root Class	Prep	Function
10	לָלֶ֖דֶת
ילד · I-י · לְ · Epexegetical — "to bear/give birth"; seghol-dalet-taw IC; לָ prefix; follows עֵת = "a time to…"
11	לָמ֑וּת
מות · Biconsonantal · לְ · Epexegetical — "to die"; full shureq (וּ); לָ prefix before biconsonantal IC
12	לִנְטֹ֙עַ֙
נטע · Strong B (gutt. R3) · לְ · Epexegetical — "to plant"; gutt. patach at R3 (ע); hireq under ל
13	לַעֲק֔וֹר
עקר · I-gutt. · לְ · Epexegetical — "to uproot"; chateph-patach under ע; all four IC forms in Ecc 3:2 share epexegetical function after עֵת

Passage 9 — Genesis 45:4–5 (Joseph Reveals Himself)

Gen 45:4–5

… וְאַתָּ֖ה לְמָכְרֵ֥נִי הֵ֖נָּה׃ וְעַתָּ֣ה׀ אַל-תֵּֽעָצְב֗וּ … כִּ֣י לְמִחְיָ֔ה שְׁלָחַ֥נִי אֱלֹהִ֖ים לִפְנֵיכֶֽם

"…and you [sold me] to sell me here; but now do not be distressed … because God sent me before you for preservation of life."

#	Form	Root	Root Class	Prep	Function
14	לְמָכְרֵ֥נִי
מכר · Strong A · לְ · Purpose — "to sell me"; IC + 1cs obj. suffix; states the brothers' purpose — God's purpose (next item) contrasts with it
15	לְמִחְיָ֔ה
חיה · III-ה · לְ · Purpose (abstract noun) — "for preservation of life"; IC used as verbal noun; Joseph's theological reframing — human evil / divine purpose

Reflection Questions

How does לֵאמֹר (Gen 2:16) function differently from other לְ + IC forms in these passages? What makes it a "quotative formula" rather than a purpose clause?
In Gen 39:18–19, both כְשָׁמְעוֹ (with suffix) and כִשְׁמֹעַ (bare) express temporal meaning. What structural difference do you observe, and does the meaning change?
Compare לְמָכְרֵנִי and לְמִחְיָה in Gen 45:4–5. Both are לְ + IC purpose clauses, yet they express opposing purposes. How does recognizing both as IC forms sharpen your understanding of Joseph's theological argument?