לִבְרֹ֣חַ (liḇ·rō·aḥ) in Jonah 1:3: Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
לִבְרֹ֣חַ (liḇ·rō·aḥ) in Jonah 1:3
Source Word
At Jonah 1:3, the source token לִבְרֹ֣חַ is H1272, Prep-l | V-Qal-Inf. The BSB+ word table row therefore anchors this guide.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
To flee directly conveys the purpose force of lamed attached to the infinitive. Jonah answers the divine commission with deliberate counter-movement, pursuing Tarshish away from the assigned mission and the Lord's presence.
How To Communicate It
Explain to flee as Jonah's stated purpose and contrast it with the direction and purpose of the Lord's command.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Do not treat away from the presence of the Lord as proof that God is geographically absent outside Israel.
- Presence may refer to covenant service or the felt sphere of divine commission; the narrative soon proves that Jonah cannot escape God's reach.
- Read to flee within Jonah 1:3 as this H1272 occurrence; broader theology requires the passage.
What Does The Label Mean?
Hebrew-verb
Verb
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Qal
Inf
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Preposition l
None
The infinitive presents intended action without independently stating whether escape can succeed.
Lamed marks purpose before the Qal infinitive, attaching the flight directly to Jonah's preceding act of rising.
What The Form Does In This Verse
Jonah's rising as the purpose that redirects him toward Tarshish
The contrast between the Lord's command to go to Nineveh and Jonah's chosen departure
The lamed-prefixed Qal infinitive states Jonah's purpose in getting up: he intends to flee rather than obey.
The phrase does not imply that Jonah can leave God's omnipresence or that travel itself is disobedient.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: Jonah answers the divine commission with deliberate counter-movement, pursuing Tarshish away from the assigned mission and the Lord's presence.
Lamed marks purpose before the Qal infinitive, attaching the flight directly to Jonah's preceding act of rising.. The lamed-prefixed Qal infinitive states Jonah's purpose in getting up: he intends to flee rather than obey.. Attached to Jonah's rising as the purpose that redirects him toward Tarshish. Governed by the contrast between the Lord's command to go to Nineveh and Jonah's chosen departure. The phrase does not imply that Jonah can leave God's omnipresence or that travel itself is disobedient.
What does to flee reveal about Jonah's getting up? The purpose construction shows that his movement is intentional resistance to the commission, not accidental delay.
Direct: To flee directly conveys the purpose force of lamed attached to the infinitive.
Presence may refer to covenant service or the felt sphere of divine commission; the narrative soon proves that Jonah cannot escape God's reach. The infinitive identifies intention, while Jonah 4:2 later discloses his motive for choosing flight.
Purpose means successful escape: The construction tells what Jonah intends, not what he is able to accomplish. divine presence is territorially limited: The Lord commands the sea and fish beyond Israel, overturning any geographic escape reading.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
At Jonah 1:3, the source token לִבְרֹ֣חַ is H1272, Prep-l | V-Qal-Inf. The BSB+ word table row therefore anchors this guide.
בָּרַח is the lemma behind to flee here. Within Jonah 1:3, H1272 retains this exact lexical identity.
Lamed marks purpose before the Qal infinitive, attaching the flight directly to Jonah's preceding act of rising.
Jonah answers the divine commission with deliberate counter-movement, pursuing Tarshish away from the assigned mission and the Lord's presence.
A servant may reject a commission, but no journey removes a person from God's sovereign reach.
Explain to flee as Jonah's stated purpose and contrast it with the direction and purpose of the Lord's command.
Do not treat away from the presence of the Lord as proof that God is geographically absent outside Israel.