לֵ֧ךְ (lêḵ) in Jonah 1:2: Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
לֵ֧ךְ (lêḵ) in Jonah 1:2
Source Word
The BSB+ row for Jonah 1:2 links the English rendering "Go" with לֵ֧ךְ, Strong's H1980, and the parsing label V-Qal-Imp-ms.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form helps readers hear "Go" as the Lord's direct commission to Jonah, not merely as a movement word.
How To Communicate It
When teaching Jonah 1:2, show that the imperative is the first step of the commission: Jonah is commanded to go, while the verse supplies the destination and message.
What Not To Say
- Grammar should serve context, not override it.
- Do not use the imperative by itself to settle every theological question about prophetic obedience.
- Do not treat Qal as if it always means simple action in an interpretive sense.
- Do not treat this occurrence as a complete word study for the whole Hebrew lemma.
What Does The Label Mean?
Hebrew-verb
Verb
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Qal
Imperative
Not marked
Not marked
Not marked
The imperative form gives direct force to the action, while the verse and passage determine the scope of the command or appeal.
This form carries the BSB rendering "Go" within Jonah 1:2. Jonah 1 follows the prophet's flight, the storm at sea, and the sailors' growing fear as disobedience is exposed.
What The Form Does In This Verse
The command rendered "Go" in Jonah 1:2
The command is governed by the Lord's speech to Jonah, and the following destination and proclamation phrase specify what obedience requires.
It functions as the opening command in Jonah's commission, moving the prophet toward Nineveh rather than merely naming motion.
The form does not by itself settle every use of H1980, every possible translation, or the whole theology of prophetic obedience.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The imperative is the command that launches Jonah's commission to Nineveh.
Direct imperative command. calls Jonah to move toward the named destination and task. Attached to the Lord's speech to Jonah. Governed by the command sequence in Jonah 1:2. The command form gives force to the action, while the rest of the verse identifies where and why Jonah is sent.
What is Jonah commanded to do first? He is commanded to go, with Nineveh and the proclamation task supplied by the following words.
Direct: The imperative directly supports the rendering Go.
The imperative supplies command force, but the passage supplies the scope and theological significance of obedience. The Qal stem should not be used by itself to create a doctrine of simplicity or basic action.
Imperative alone proves obedience theology: The imperative carries the command, but Jonah 1 and the larger book supply the theology of response. Qal means simple: Qal names the stem label; context, not the label alone, determines interpretive force.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The BSB+ row for Jonah 1:2 links the English rendering "Go" with לֵ֧ךְ, Strong's H1980, and the parsing label V-Qal-Imp-ms.
H1980 is represented here by the lemma הָלַךְ. In this occurrence, the public guide is limited to the BSB rendering "Go" rather than every possible gloss of the entry.
The Qal masculine singular imperative carries the force of a direct command in the Lord's speech. It calls Jonah to go, while the rest of the verse supplies the destination and message.
The form helps the reader see that the verse begins with divine commission, not general travel language.
The form fits Scripture's witness to mercy, repentance, prophetic obedience, and God's compassion for the nations.
When teaching Jonah 1:2, show that the imperative is the first step of the commission: Jonah is commanded to go, while the verse supplies the destination and message.
Do not derive the whole theology of obedience, mission, or mercy from the imperative alone. The form carries the command, but the passage supplies the larger meaning.