Hebrew Form Guide

מִגְּדוֹלָ֖ם (mig·gə·ḏō·w·lām) in Jonah 3:5: Preposition-m | Adjective - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural

מִגְּדוֹלָ֖ם (mig·gə·ḏō·w·lām) in Jonah 3:5

Source Word

מִגְּדוֹלָ֖םmig·gə·ḏō·w·lāmPreposition-m | Adjective - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural

At Jonah 3:5, the Jonah 3:5 source token מִגְּדוֹלָ֖ם is H1419, Prep-m | Adj-msc | 3mp. The H1419 Jonah 3:5 BSB+ word table row therefore anchors this guide.

How The Form Affects Interpretation

From the greatest preserves the min endpoint and the adjective used as a noun for prominent people. Nineveh's response reaches across status levels, from its most prominent inhabitants to those regarded as least.

How To Communicate It

Read the two endpoints as a range formula so greatest signals prominence rather than a verdict on spiritual worth.

What Not To Say

  • Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
  • Do not equate social greatness with righteousness, and do not infer identical inward faith from the phrase's broad social coverage.
  • Great can refer to size, age, importance, or status; contrast with least favors social prominence here.
  • Read from the greatest within Jonah 3:5 as the H1419 occurrence; broader theology requires the passage.

What Does The Label Mean?

Profile

Hebrew-nominal

Part of Speech

Adjective

Form Label

Preposition-m | Adjective - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural

Stem

Not applicable

Aspect

Not applicable

Person

Not applicable

Gender

Masculine

Number

Singular

State

Construct

Attached Prefixes

Min preposition

Suffix

3Mp

Aspect Note

The adjective phrase has no aspect; it defines the social breadth of the response reported by the surrounding verbs.

Verse Role

A masculine singular construct adjective is used substantivally with their, and min establishes the starting endpoint matched by to the least.

What The Form Does In This Verse

Attached To

To the least as the paired endpoint describing the reach of Nineveh's fasting and sackcloth response

Governed By

The narrative statement that the Ninevites believed God after Jonah's warning

Role In The Phrase

The min prefix marks one end of a range, while the substantival construct adjective and third masculine plural suffix identify their greatest people.

What It Is Not Doing

Greatest describes social rank or prominence in this range, not moral goodness, and the suffix does not imply that the people belong to one human ruler in every sense.

How Much The Form Matters Here

Interpretive Weight

Moderate: Nineveh's response reaches across status levels, from its most prominent inhabitants to those regarded as least.

Syntax Profile

A masculine singular construct adjective is used substantivally with their, and min establishes the starting endpoint matched by to the least.. The min prefix marks one end of a range, while the substantival construct adjective and third masculine plural suffix identify their greatest people.. Attached to to the least as the paired endpoint describing the reach of Nineveh's fasting and sackcloth response. Governed by the narrative statement that the Ninevites believed God after Jonah's warning. Greatest describes social rank or prominence in this range, not moral goodness, and the suffix does not imply that the people belong to one human ruler in every sense.

Reader Question

What relation does from the greatest establish in Jonah 3:5? It sets the high-status endpoint of a range that extends to the least, showing how widely the response spread.

Translation Effect

Direct: From the greatest preserves the min endpoint and the adjective used as a noun for prominent people.

Where Caution Is Needed

Great can refer to size, age, importance, or status; contrast with least favors social prominence here. The suffix their relates the prominent people to Nineveh's population without defining the city's political structure.

Fallacies To Avoid

Greatest means most righteous: The adjective ranks social prominence in a range and offers no moral endorsement. range formula proves identical faith: The phrase reports broad participation, while inward response and lasting change require further evidence. morphology replaces literary context: The H1419 form clarifies the from the greatest relation in Jonah 3:5; the surrounding passage establishes its scope.

How The Interpretation Is Derived

Textual Witness

At Jonah 3:5, the Jonah 3:5 source token מִגְּדוֹלָ֖ם is H1419, Prep-m | Adj-msc | 3mp. The H1419 Jonah 3:5 BSB+ word table row therefore anchors this guide.

Lexical Identity

גָּדוֹל is the lemma behind from the greatest here. Within Jonah 3:5, H1419 retains this exact lexical identity.

Grammar In Context

A masculine singular construct adjective is used substantivally with their, and min establishes the starting endpoint matched by to the least.

Passage Meaning

Nineveh's response reaches across status levels, from its most prominent inhabitants to those regarded as least.

Canonical Fit

The narrative emphasizes the breadth of public humility while reserving the decisive evaluation for what God sees in their changed ways.

Communication Use

Read the two endpoints as a range formula so greatest signals prominence rather than a verdict on spiritual worth.

Do Not Derive

Do not equate social greatness with righteousness, and do not infer identical inward faith from the phrase's broad social coverage.