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See the exact Psalms 51:13 form guide with morphology, clause role, and guardrails.
OpenForm Insight
How אֲלַמְּדָ֣ה Works in Psalms 51:13
A focused form insight on Verb - Piel - Imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular in Psalms 51:13.
Focused term אֲלַמְּדָ֣ה ’ă·lam·mə·ḏāh H3925 Verb - Piel - Imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular
Psalms 51:13 - BSB
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will return to You.
The Question
How does אֲלַמְּדָ֣ה function in Psalms 51:13?
Short Answer
אֲלַמְּדָ֣ה is a Verb - Piel - Imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular in Psalms 51:13. The form matters because it turns restoration into witness: "Then I will teach." It shows intended response after mercy without making the response independent from God's cleansing work.
What the Form Is Doing
אֲלַמְּדָ֣ה appears in Psalms 51:13 as a Verb - Piel - Imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular. It presents the speaker's intended response after restoration: teaching transgressors the ways of God.
The Piel imperfect cohortative first common singular expresses the speaker's intended response after mercy and restoration: "Then I will teach." The form carries volitional resolve, while the psalm grounds that resolve in God's restoring work.
Why It Matters for Interpretation
The form matters because it turns restoration into witness: "Then I will teach." It shows intended response after mercy without making the response independent from God's cleansing work.
The cohortative form marks the speaker's resolved response after restoration: teaching transgressors God's ways.
Translation Effect
The cohortative form directly supports a resolved rendering such as "Then I will teach."
The form guide should support the public Bible reading, not replace it with a private rendering.
What It Does Not Prove
Do not derive a full word study, grammar doctrine, or doctrine of teaching ministry from V-Piel-Imperf.Cohort-1cs alone. The form identifies the occurrence-level resolved response.
Grammar should serve context, not override it.
Do not make the imperfect cohortative label prove more than the sentence supports.
Evidence from the Form Guide
The BSB+ row for Psalms 51:13 links the English rendering "Then I will teach" with אֲלַמְּדָ֣ה, Strong's H3925, and the morphology tag V-Piel-Imperf.Cohort-1cs.
When teaching Psalms 51:13, show that restored sinners become witnesses and teachers of God's ways, but keep that response rooted in the mercy and cleansing requested earlier in the psalm.
What It Does Not Prove
- Do not derive a full word study, grammar doctrine, or doctrine of teaching ministry from V-Piel-Imperf.Cohort-1cs alone. The form identifies the occurrence-level resolved response.
- Grammar should serve context, not override it.
- Do not make the imperfect cohortative label prove more than the sentence supports.
- Do not use the stem label by itself to settle a theological claim.