Method:Phrase-Level Semantics

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Version: 1.0
Overseer: Ian Atkinson

Introduction

The purpose of Phrase-Level Semantics is to analyse the meaning of units that are higher than the level of the word (Method:Semantics/Lexical Semantics) and lower than the level of the sentence (Semantics/Story behind the Psalm). Specifically, this layer seeks to answer the following questions:

1. What is the relationship between each member of a construct phrase?
2. What is the function of each preposition and nominal adverb?
3. What do the phrase-level waws tell you about the combination of constituents and their collective semantic contribution?
4. What do appositives tell you about the relationship between the two noun phrases?
5. What does the definite article or כֹּל tell you about the word or phrase to which it is attached?

Steps

1. Set up your workspace.

1. In the grammar tool, all construct phrases, prepositional phrases, articles, quantifiers, and phrase-level conjunctions should be automatically highlighted. Double-check that all of these constructions are properly highlighted. Report any issues within the Grammar tool, or talk to the Overseer.
2. Carry out the analysis according to the illustrative examples below. More detailed functional descriptions are available in the appendices.
3. To indicate phrase-level glosses, add after a ConstructChain or a PrepositionalPhrase tag this code: <gloss="your new gloss here">. This will have the practical effect of turning all the word-level glosses within the construct chain or prepositional phrase gray, and it will generate a new blue gloss for the phrase. By default a phrase-level gloss will be located inside the prepositional slant above the gloss of the Object of the PrepositionalPhrase. A phrase-level gloss on a ConstructChain will appear underneath the first element of the ConstructChain. These default locations are to reduce overlap with other elements and therefore the need to manually override the location. Use x="#" or y="#" (replace # with a negative or positive integer value). A positive x number will move the gloss to the right, a positive y will move it up, a negative x value will move the phrase to the left and a negative y value will move it down. To indicate meaning transfer as with standard glosses you can use “>>” in the phrase gloss, and an asterisk to make the preferred phrase bold.

2. Construct phrases

Hebrew has a grammatical means of encoding ‘A of B’; this construction can express many different relationships between two (or more) nouns. English grammarians call this construction a ‘Construct’ (our term) or ‘Genitive’ phrase; Hebrew grammarians call it smīḵūt (סְמִיכוּת).

A. Identify construct phrases.

Confirm the diagrammer has properly identified the construct chains according to your grammar's code. Construct phrases on the grammatical diagram look like stair steps and are highlighted on the grammatical diagram with yellow circles. See the following example of a construct phrase in Ps. 10:5.

B. Gloss construct phrases.

The grammatical diagram should already be glossed with the glosses chosen in lexical semantics. For example, מִשְׁפָּטֶי should be glossed "rulings" and ךָ should be glossed "you."

Next, add your phrasal gloss as detailed in Set up your workspace above. As you analyze the phrase, consult the list of construct relationships provided in Appendix A. (If, however, the phrase-level gloss would be identical to the sum of the word-level glosses, then you do not need to as a phrase-level gloss and the individual lexical glosses will remain blue.)

In some instances, this would be the final step. In others, however, the ‘English translation’ does not (indeed, cannot) adequately capture the semantics of the phrase. This is the case here. It is not clear from ‘your rulings’ that ‘those rulings that come from you’ is meant and not, say, ‘the rulings owned by you’ or something. When this happens, paste only the following text: <gloss="">, leaving the phrase-level gloss blank (this will keep the individual lexemes gray) and manually add the phrase-level gloss with its arrows and semantic extension to the diagram on Miro. These cases will inevitably merit a note.

These arrows will be necessary any time it is not immediately clear how one gets from the phrase as it stands in the Hebrew to the meaning reflected in your English translation. The arrows represent the 'steps' you took to get there.

3. Prepositional Phrases and Nominal Adverbs

A prepositional phrase consists of phrase's head (the preposition: אֵל, בְּ, etc.) and the dependent (the nominal phrase following the preposition. Nominal adverbs (often called 'adverbial accusatives') are nouns or noun-phrases which function adverbially. They are similar, in this respect, to prepositional phrases. Nominal adverbs are diagramed just like prepositional phrases, except the slanted line is dashed instead of solid.

After ensuring the diagrammer has properly identified every prepositional phrase in your psalm, complete the following steps. Note that the diagrammer will not identify any nominal adverbs found in your psalm, so these should be indicated manually on Miro with the visual provided on the template.

A. Gloss prepositional phrases and nominal adverbs

As with construct phrases, provide a gloss for each prepositional phrase and nominal adverb. In the case of prepositional phrases, if your English translation/gloss of the phrase is equivalent to sum of the glosses provided at the lexical level, then there is no need to add a phrase-level gloss. When, however, your gloss of the prepositional phrase differs from the sum of the lexical glosses of the diagram, as a phrase-level gloss to the code, as outlined above.

As you analyze the prepositional phrases, consult the resources suggested in Appendix B. For this specific construction in Ps. 10:2, the בְּ preposition probably indicates "location" in a figurative sense. In other words, the preposition is marking the location where the action of the verb (יתפשו 'may they be caught') is to take place, so בְּ = 'in' here, used figuratively.

As you analyze any nominal adverbs, these should be evident in ancient versions, as explicitly providing a prepositional phrase, for example, where the Hebrew text contains only a nominal.

B. Notes

Take notes next to the diagram for any difficult phrases (i.e., where the function falls outside of the prototypical functions given for each preposition). Make sure to interact with grammars and commentaries. Notes will almost invariably be warranted in the case of nominal adverbs.

4. Phrase-Level Waw and Hendiadys

The conjunction waw (וְ) can join units of all sizes (e.g., words, phrases, clauses, paragraphs). At this layer, we are focused only on those waw's which join words and phrases to form (larger) phrases, that is, lower than the clause-level.

A. Identify and circle all phrase-Level waw's and their members

See the following example of a phrase-level waw from Psalm 10:15:

B. Gloss words coordinated by phrase-level waw.

The phrase refers '(the) wicked (person) and (the) evil (person)' is not meant to refer to two different people but to two different characteristics of a single person ('the one who is wicked and evil'). The arrows '>>' are used here to bring this out clearly.

In cases in which a phrase-level gloss for the waw phrase would not differ from the glosses provided at the lexical level, it is not necessary to provide a gloss for the whole phrase; the lexical glosses will suffice. For example,

Such pairs may also include a participle or similarly verbal idea (a verbal hendiadys), in which case a separate gloss should be provided for the entire phrase.

The present analysis should also cover serial verb constructions consisting of one verbal predicate, despite their lack of waw.

C. Take notes.

As a rule of thumb, all instances of phrase-level waws should be discussed in a note.

5. Apposition

When two clausal constituents are co-referential, we have nominal apposition, such as King David or David, the king. Ideally, they would be two noun phrases having the same syntactic function, so that the sentence would still be valid with the omission of either one or the other. However, theoretical discussion surrounding apposition has questioned this requirement (see Crystal's comment in the footnote), so in our treatment of apposition we will include any instance of the "equals sign" in the diagram, neither limiting ourselves strictly to noun phrases, linear adjacency, nor syntactic equivalence. Thus, besides the obvious cases of two adjacent noun phrases with identical syntactic roles:

our treatment of apposition will include cases of extraposition (left- or right-dislocation):

and even right-dislocated constituents which are not linearly adjacent to their anchor as a result:

וּבַֽת־צֹ֨ר׀ בְּ֭מִנְחָה פָּנַ֥יִךְ יְחַלּ֗וּ עֲשִׁ֣ירֵי עָֽם | and Daughter Tyre will seek your face with a gift, the richest of people (Ps 45.13)

בְּחַרְב֤וֹת גִּבּוֹרִים֙ אַפִּ֣יל הֲמוֹנֶ֔ךָ עָרִיצֵ֥י גוֹיִ֖ם כֻּלָּ֑ם | with swords of mighty ones I will bring down your abundance, violent men of nations, all of them (Ezek. 32.12).

Further, the nominal constituents in an appositive relationship may be headed by a preposition:

לְהוֹשִׁיבִ֥י עִם־נְדִיבִ֑ים עִ֝֗ם נְדִיבֵ֥י עַמּֽוֹ | sitting with the noble ones, with the nobles of his people (Ps 113.8)

In summary, we are primarily concerned with semantic co-referentiality and the relationship between the two construals of the same constituent. We will therefore be following BHRG's semantic categories of nominal apposition (for which, see Appendix E).

6. Articles and כֹּל

Definite articles give information about the identifiability or the inclusiveness of the word to which the article is attached. כֹּל is a quantifier that gives information about the scope of the word to which it is attached.

B. Gloss all articles and instances of כֹּל.

See the following examples:

Use Appendix C to determine the functions of the article as well as the functions of כֹּל.

C. Take notes.

As a rule of thumb every article and instance of כֹּל should be discussed in a note.

7. Idioms

Since they affect the entire meaning of prepositional phrases or verb phrases, the identification of idioms also belongs here (see Warren-Rothlin 2013 and van den Heever 2014 in the additional resources below).

B. Provide a phrase-level gloss for the entire idiom.

Provide a phrase-level gloss for the entire idiom and document the support for the idiomatic analysis in a note:

C. Take notes.

Document the support for the idiomatic analysis in a note, including, especially, any other instances of the idiom in the Hebrew Bible. The following note was included in the analysis of Ps 119:109, displayed above.

For other instances of נֶפֶשׁ being in כַּף (always with שִׂים, except here) see also Judg 12:3; 1 Sam 19:5; 1 Sam 28:21 and Job 13:14, which all amount to "take a risk." Here the risk seems to be involuntary, however, so simply "be in danger" is in view. The conceptualization of בְכַפִּ֣י as spatially limited may be in contrast to the mention of רחב elsewhere (see, esp. וְאֶתְהַלְּכָ֥ה בָרְחָבָ֑ה in v. 45).

Appendices

Appendix A: Construct Relations

The following list is taken from section §25.4 of van der Merwe et al. (2017, 226–229). You should be able to find all you need here. If not, the relevant sections in the other grammars are: Gesenius §89a, §128g–y; Joüon & Muraoka §129; Waltke & O’Conner §9.4–§9.5

Relationships of Possession

(1) Possession (concrete object)–possessor

The house of the king בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ

(2) Possession (body part)–possessor

The lips of the king שִׂפְתֵי המֶּלֶךְ

(3) Possession (characteristic)–possessor

The majesty of the king הַדְרַת־המֶּלֶךְ

(4) Kinship/relationship–possessor

The sons of the king בְּנֵי המֶּלֶךְ

(5) Possessor–possession

The owner of the house בְּעַל הַבַּיִת

Subject and Object Relations

(1) Verbal notion–subject

The blessing of (or, by) the Lord בִּרְכַּת יהוה

(2) Verbal notion (passive)–agent

The murdered (ones) of the woman הֲרוּגֵי הָאִשָּׁה

(3) Verbal notion–object

The fear of (for) the Lord יִרְאָת יהוה

Partitive Relationships

(1) Part–divided whole

The members of (among) the prophet guild בְּנֵי הַנְּבִיאִים

(2) Superlative part–divided whole

The best (good) of (among) the sons טוֹב הַבָּנִים

(3) Specification of undivided whole

All of the sons כָּל־הַבָּנִים

Equalising Relationships

(1) Entity–synonym

Joy of (viz.) rejoicing שִׂמְחַת גִּיל

(2) Entity–class (genus)

A fool of (viz.) a person כְּסִיל אָדָם

(3) Entity–type (species)

Sacrifices of (viz.) peace offerings זִבְחֵי שְׁלָמִים

(4) Entity–name

The river of (viz.) the Euphrates נְהַר פְרָת

(5) Entity–characteristic (description, attribute, quality)

Words of (with) insight אִמְרֵי בִינָה

Adverbial Relationships

(1) Entity–aim, goal or result

Stones of (meant for) a sling אַבְנֵי־קֶלַע

(2) Entity–manner

Riches of (acquired through) injustice אוֹצְרוֹת רֶשַׁע

(3) Entity–cause or reason

Exhausted (ones) of (due to) hunger מְזֵי רָעָה

(4) Entity–means (instrument)

The wounded (ones) of (by means of) the sword חַלְלֵי־הַחֶרֶב

(5) Entity–duration of time

A son of a year בֶּן־שָׁנָה

(6) Entity–direction

The (ones) going down (into the) pit יוֹרְדֵי בוֹר

(7) Entity–origin

The loot of (from) the cities שְׁלַל הֶעָרִים

Other Relationships

(1) Product–material

Vessels of silver כְּלֵי כֶסֶף

(2) Product–author, creator, source, origin

The book of (by) the man סֶפֶר הָאִישׁ

(3) Characteristic–with regard/respect to (specification)

Foolish of (with respect to) lips אֱוִיל שְׂפָתַיִם

(4) Entity–interested (favoured/injured) party

The trap of (for, to the detriment of) a person מוֹקֵשׁ הָאָדָם

(5) Container–content

A bag of (full of) water חֵמַת מַיִם

Appendix B: Prepositions

A comprehensive list would be too big for these guidelines. We recommend that you consult BHRG §39 (and, if necessary, GKC §119g–§119ii; Waltke-O’ Connor §11.2–§11.3; Joüon-Muraoka §133; Hardy, The Development of Biblical Hebrew Prepositions[SBL 2022]). If a certain case of either בְּ, כְּ or לְ is still uncertain after checking these standard reference grammars, Jenni's analysis (1992, 1994, 2000) should be consulted.

Appendix C: Nominal Adverbs

Often called "adverbial accusatives," nominal adverbs are standard noun forms without any prepositional- or אֵת-marking that are used to modify a verbal event in terms of time, manner, or other semantic functions (see BHRG §33.2.3 and §33.3; GKC §118; Joüon-Muraoka §126).

Appendix D: Waw

The various functions of phrase-level waw are as follows.

1. Every entity (#a), groups of entities (#b) or only the last entity in the list (#c) to be added, is preceded by וְ. In negated clauses or conditional clauses, a list of “apparent” alternatives may be involved (#d).

a	כִּ֤י אָֽנֹכִי֙ נָתַ֣תִּי לָ֔הּ הַדָּגָ֖ן וְהַתִּיר֣וֹשׁ וְהַיִּצְהָ֑ר	that it was I who gave her the grain, the wine [lit. and the wine], and the oil (Hos. 2:10)
b	נֹתְנֵ֤י לַחְמִי֙ וּמֵימַ֔י צַמְרִ֣י וּפִשְׁתִּ֔י שַׁמְנִ֖י וְשִׁקּוּיָֽי	who give (me) my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink (Hos. 2:7)
c	כָּל־מְשׂוֹשָׂ֔הּ חַגָּ֖הּ חָדְשָׁ֣הּ וְשַׁבַּתָּ֑הּ	all her mirth, her feast(s), her new moon(s) and her sabbath(s) (Hos. 2:13)
d	לֹֽ֣א־תַעֲשֶׂ֣֨ה כָל־מְלָאכָ֡֜ה אַתָּ֣ה ׀ וּבִנְךָֽ֣־וּ֠בִתֶּ֗ךָ עַבְדְּךָ֤֨ וַאֲמָֽתְךָ֜֙ וּבְהֶמְתֶּ֔֗ךָ וְגֵרְךָ֖֙ אֲשֶׁ֥֣ר בִּשְׁעָרֶֽ֔יךָ	You shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, you manservant, or your maidsevant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates (Exod. 20:10).

Sometimes (#e) the phrases to be coordinated by וְ are split (called split coordination).

e

וְעָבְד֤וּ אֹתוֹ֙ כָּל־הַגּוֹיִ֔ם וְאֶת־בְּנ֖וֹ וְאֶֽת־בֶּן־בְּנ֑וֹ

And they shall serve him, all the nations, and his son and the son of his son (Jer. 27:7).

Sometimes (#f) two words form a type of fixed compound. (If the word that is preceded by וְ is short then וָ is used instead of וְ.)

f

ט֣וֹב וָרָ֔ע

good and evil (Gen. 2:17)

2. Sometimes both the first and the second entity of a coordinated phrase are preceded by וְ. It is then regarded as a correlative conjunction.

וּבְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וּבָֽאָדָ֑ם

both in Israel and among all humankind (Jer. 32:20).

3. An apparently superfluous use of וְ (rare).

וַתֵּ֤שֶׁב תָּמָר֙ וְשֹׁ֣מֵמָ֔ה בֵּ֖ית אַבְשָׁל֥וֹם אָחִֽיהָ׃

So Tamar, [lit. and] a desolate woman, dwelt in the house of Absalom, her brother (2 Sam. 13:20).

Appendix E: Nouns in Apposition

The second member of the phrase elucidates the first in one of the following ways:

(1a) The second member designates the role/capacity of the first member.

שָׂרָ֥ה אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ Sarah, his wife (Gen. 20:2)

(1b) The second member designates the individual within the role/capacity of the first member.

הָ֝רִ֗יעוּ לִפְנֵ֤י׀ הַמֶּ֬לֶךְ יְהוָֽה Shout praise before the king, YHWH (Ps 98.6)

(2a) The second member specifies the status of the first member.

אִשָּׁה֩ אַלְמָנָ֨ה a woman, a widow (1 Kgs 7:14)

(2b) The second member specifies a characteristic action of the first member.

זֵדִ֣ים אֲרוּרִ֑ים הַ֝שֹּׁגִים מִמִּצְוֺתֶֽיךָ arrogant people, cursed, those who stray from your commandments (Ps 119.21)

(3a) The second member reveals a characteristic/quality of the first member.

אֲמָרִ֥ים אֱ֝מֶ֗ת words, truth (i.e. true words) (Prov. 22:21)

(3b) The second member reformulates the first member in terms of its effect.

הִ֝שְׁקִיתָ֗נוּ יַ֣יִן תַּרְעֵלָֽה you caused us to drink wine, staggering (Ps 60.5), i.e., wine, which causes us to stagger.

(4) The second member specifies the material from which the first member is made.

הַבָּקָ֥ר הַנְּחֹ֖שֶׁת the cattle, the bronze (i.e. the cattle made of bronze) (2 Kgs 16:17)

(5) The second member specifies the substance, a measuring unit or number of the first member.

סְאָֽה־סֹ֣לֶת ... וְסָאתַ֧יִם שְׂעֹרִ֛ים and a measure of fine meal... and two measures of barley (2 Kgs 7:1)

(6) The second member specifies the pronominal reference of the first member.

וַתִּרְאֵ֣הוּ אֶת־הַיֶּ֔לֶד And she saw him, the child (Exod. 2:6)

Appendix F: Determiners

Functions of the Definite Article

The following list is taken from van der Merwe et al. §24.4.4 unless otherwise noted. If none of these common functions fit, have a look at the following sections: Gesenius §126; Waltke & O’Conner §13.5.1–§13.5.2; Joüon & Muraoka §137f–§137n.

Note that 1–4 are known as the ‘semantic’ uses of the article (the article tells us something about the referent of the word to which it is attached), while 5–8 are ‘syntactic’ uses (the article combines with a noun in order to fill a particular role in the sentence). For the purposes of this visualisation, this distinction does not really matter, but it’s good to be aware.

Use	Explanation	Example	Comment
Identifiability - unique referent	The article is often used because the thing it’s attached to is the only one of its kind.	הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ ‘The Sun’	A speaker may expect the hearer to be able to identify the Sun because there is only one Sun in our world.
Identifiability - specific referent	The article is used on nouns that have been previously mentioned in a span of text.	וַיִּקַח…בֶן־הַבָּקָר ‘And he took…the calf’ (Gen 18.8).	The reader can identify the calf in question because it was introduced (without an article) in v. 7.
Identifiability - implication	The article can mark entities that we may infer are present in a situation (even if not previously mentioned).	וַתּעַר כַּדָּהּ אֶל־הַשֹּׁקֶת ‘And she emptied the jar into the trough’ (Gen 24.20).	The jar has to be emptied somewhere. That somewhere gets the article.
Inclusiveness - Class	The article is used to refer to all members of a certain class.	לֹא תואכְלוּ…אֶת־הַגָּמָל ‘Do not eat camels [lit., the camel]’ (Lev. 11.5).	No specific camel is in view here. Rather, all things that belong to the class ‘camel’.
Deixis (Demonstrative)	The article ‘points’ to something as especially relevant in the speech context	הַיוֹם lit. ‘the day (I am speaking)' > 'today' (Gen. 4.14).
Deixis (Vocative)	The article 'points' to single out an addressee.	חֵי נַּפְשְׁךָ הַמֶּלֶךְ ‘As surely as you live, O King’ (1 Sam 24.9)
Deixis (Anaphora)	The article can 'point' to an entity's identity as already mentioned and resume its discourse-active state.	לַיהוה הַנִּרְאֶה אֵלָיו ‘To the Lord, the one who had appeared to him’ (Gen 12.7).
Deixis (Superlative)	The article 'points' to an entity and singles it out from a given set regarding a certain characteristic attribute.	כִּי־אַתֶּם הַמְעַט מִכָּל־הָעַמִּים ‘You are the fewest of all the people’ (Deut. 7.7).

Functions of כֹּל

The noun כֹּל ‘all’ is used as a quantifier. Quantifiers specify the number of entities that satisfy the referent to which it is attached. The meaning of כֹּל depends on the definiteness and number of the noun to which it is attached. You will generally choose from the following four options, taken from van der Merwe et. al. (2017, 309–310)

With a singular and indefinite noun, כֹּל can be glossed ‘each; every individual’. That is the reference is to each discrete entity within an unidentifiable whole. So in the following example, God feels indignation each individual day for an unspecified length of time.

וְאֵ֗ל זֹעֵ֥ם בְּכָל־יֽוֹם׃

A God who feels indignation each/every day (Psa. 7.12)

With a plural and indefinite noun; כֹּל means ‘all; each and every one’. That is, the reference is to an unidentifiable whole that, of course, is composed of individual items. In the following example, notice that the verb is plural, because the reference is to the many tables that make up the unspecified whole.

כִּי כָּל־שֻׁלְחָנ֔וֹת מָלְא֖וּ קִ֣יא צֹאָ֑ה

All tables are filled with filthy vomit (Isa 28:8).

With a singular and definite noun; כֹּל can be glossed ‘all’. That is, the reference is to every member of an identifiable group. In the following example, Qohelet tells us each member of the group identifiable via common knowledge ‘mankind’ should eat, drink and be merry.

וְגַ֤ם כָּל־הָאָדָם֙ שֶׁיֹּאכַ֣ל וְשָׁתָ֔ה וְרָאָ֥ה ט֖וֹב בְּכָל־עֲמָל֑וֹ

And also all mankind should eat and drink and see good in all of his toil (Eccl. 3:13)

With a plural and definite noun; כֹּל can be glossed ‘all’. That is, the reference is to the totality of an identifiable group. In the following example, we find out the sum total of all the temple servants just listed. The temple servants are identifiable (they have the definite article) because they were previously mentioned in the text (v. 43).

כָּ֨ל־הַנְּתִינִ֔ים וּבְנֵ֖י עַבְדֵ֣י שְׁלֹמֹ֑ה שְׁלֹ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת תִּשְׁעִ֥ים וּשְׁנָֽיִם׃

All (the total) of the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants—392 (Ezra 2:58).

Help

Good Examples

See the phrase-level analysis of Psalm 18 and Psalm 37.

Common Mistakes

• The analysis of כֹּל phrases does not need to be duplicated in the treatment of construct chains, even if phonetically reduced. Their analysis as a determiner is sufficient.

Additional Resources

Gesenius, W. 1909. Hebrew Grammar. Edited by E. Kautzsch. Translated by A.E. Cowley. 28th (German) 2nd (English). Oxford: Claredon Press.

Hardy, H.H. II. 2022. The Development of Biblical Hebrew Prepositions. Atlanta, GA: SBL Press.

Jenni, Ernst. 1992. Die Hebräischen Präpositionen Band 1: Die Präposition Beth. Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer.

Jenni, Ernst. 1994. Die Hebräischen Präpositionen Band 2: Die Präposition Kaph. Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer.

Jenni, Ernst. 2000. Die Hebräischen Präpositionen Band 3: Die Präposition Lamed. Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer.

Joüon, Paul S.J., and S.J. Muraoka. 2006. A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew. Subsidia Biblica 27. Rome: Editrice Pontifico Instituto Biblico.

Lambert, Mayer. 1898. "L'article dans la poésie hébraïque." Revue des études juives 37, no. 74: 203-209.

Rubin, A. D. 2023. "On the Biblical Hebrew Preposition min." Pages 86-94 in Linguistic and Philological Studies of the Hebrew Bible and its Manuscripts. Edited by Vince D. Beiler & A. D. Rubin. Leiden: Brill.

van den Heever, M. 2014. "Defining "Idiom" in Biblical Hebrew," in JNSL 40.1, 1-21.

van der Merwe, C. H. J., J. A. Naudé, and J. H. Kroeze. 2017. A Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar. 2nd ed. New York: Bloomsbury.

Waltke, Bruce K., and M. O’Connor. 1990. An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax. Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns.

Warren-Rothlin, A. 2013. "Idioms: Biblical Hebrew," in G. Khan (ed.) Encyclopedia of Hebrew Language and Linguistics: Vol 2. Leiden: Brill, 227-229.

Rubric (Version 1.0)

Dimension	Description
Completeness	The page includes every element required by the creator guidelines. Complete diagram. Construct phrases marked and glossed. Prepositional phrases marked and glossed. Nominal adverbs marked and glossed. Waw phrases marked and glossed. Appositional phrases marked and glossed. Definite articles marked. Quantifiers marked.
Quality of Analysis	In the case of difficulties and alternatives, each view is thoroughly explained and defended with a note. Preferred views are well grounded in evidence.
Engagement with secondary literature	Effort was made to consult grammars, commentaries, articles and other reference sources (e.g., Jenni) for difficult phrases. Notes are well-researched and citations are properly documented.
Clarity of language	Prose (within notes) is clear and concise. Language is not too technical so as to be inaccessible to Sarah. If a technical concept is unavoidable, it is clearly explained.
Formatting/Style	Phrasal glosses and symbols are properly encoded in the diagrammer. All sources are properly cited (see Style guide). Notes are free of typos. Double arrows (>>) are used to separate literal from figurative phrasal glosses as well as language that needs to changed in any way.

Submitting your draft

Copy the text below into your forum submission post, entitled Phrase-Level Semantics - Psalm ###. After posting, change your post into a wiki post so the reviewers can check the boxes. To change your forum post into a wiki post, click on the three dot menu at the end of the text.

Click on the wrench.

Select "make wiki."

[Phrase-Level Semantics Layer Rubric Version 1.0](https://psalms.scriptura.org/w/Phrase-Level_Semantics#Rubric)
|Guardian Review|Overseer Review|Final Checks|Description|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|||| **Completeness**
|[ ]||| The page includes every element required by the creator guidelines.
|[ ]||| Complete diagram
|[ ]||| Construct phrases marked and glossed.
|[ ]||| Prepositional phrases and nominal adverbs marked and glossed.
|[ ]||| *Waw* phrases, hendiadys and serial verbs marked and glossed.
|[ ]||| Appositional phrases marked and glossed.
|[ ]||| Definite articles marked.
|[ ]||| Quantifiers marked.
|||| **Quality of Analysis**
|[ ]|[ ]|[ ]| In the case of difficulties and alternatives, each view is thoroughly explained and defended with a note.
|[ ]|[ ]|[ ]| Preferred views are well grounded in evidence.
|||| **Engagement with secondary literature**
|[ ]|[ ]|| Effort was made to consult grammars, commentaries, articles and other reference sources (e.g., Jenni) for difficult phrases.
|[ ]|[ ]|[ ]| Notes are well-researched and citations are properly documented.
|||| **Clarity of language**
|[ ]|[ ]|[ ]| Prose (within notes) is clear and concise.
|[ ]|[ ]|[ ]| Language is not too technical so as to be inaccessible to [Sarah](https://psalms.scriptura.org/w/Personas). If a technical concept is unavoidable, it is clearly explained.
|||| **Formatting/Style**
|[ ]|[ ]|| Phrasal glosses and symbols are properly encoded in the diagrammer.
|[ ]|[ ]|| All sources are properly cited (see Style guide).
|[ ]|[ ]|| Notes are free of typos.
|[ ]|[ ]|[ ]| Double arrows (>>) are used to separate literal from figurative phrasal glosses as well as language that needs to changed in any way.|

Appendix

Previous Versions of these guidelines

These are the previous versions of the guidelines that mark significant milestones in our project history. Future versions will be numbered and will correspond to materials approved according to those guidelines.

• Fuller appendices added (Oct 2022)

• Semantic roles added (Mar 2023)

• Semantic roles taken out (Jan 2024)

• Ben's tables incorporated (June 2024)— 0.9

• No more tables; only notes (Jan 2025)— 1.0