Hebrew Form Guide

וְחַזְּקֵֽהוּ׃ (wə·ḥaz·zə·qê·hū) in 2 Samuel 11:25: Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine singular | third person masculine singular

וְחַזְּקֵֽהוּ׃ (wə·ḥaz·zə·qê·hū) in 2 Samuel 11:25

Source Word

וְחַזְּקֵֽהוּ׃wə·ḥaz·zə·qê·hūConjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine singular | third person masculine singular

The 2 Samuel 11:25 BSB+ word-table row 25 anchors וְחַזְּקֵֽהוּ׃ as H2388, Conj-w | V-Piel-Imp-ms | 3ms, for the rendering "Encourage him [with these words]."

How The Form Affects Interpretation

Encourage him maps the command from David through the messenger to Joab, exposing how reassurance becomes part of the king's effort to control the aftermath. Encourage him preserves Joab as the suffix-marked recipient, while with these words is supplied by the quoted-message setting rather than the verb alone.

How To Communicate It

Diagram David as speaker, the messenger as commanded agent, and Joab as recipient, then read the reassurance beside the narrator's account of Uriah's death.

What Not To Say

  • Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
  • Do not infer moral approval from the imperative or use Piel to sanitize David's handling of Uriah's death.
  • The imperative addresses the messenger, while the suffix points to Joab.
  • The imperative reports David's strategy without morally endorsing his manipulation or concealment of Uriah's death.

What Does The Label Mean?

Profile

Hebrew-verb

Part of Speech

Verb

Form Label

Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine singular | third person masculine singular

Stem

Piel

Aspect

Imp

Person

Not applicable

Gender

Not applicable

Number

Not applicable

State

Not applicable

Attached Prefixes

Waw conjunction

Suffix

Third person masculine singular

Aspect Note

The waw-linked singular Piel imperative directs David's messenger, while the attached third-person suffix identifies Joab as the one encouraged. With these words comes from the speech.

Verse Role

The command assigns the messenger a final task: reinforce Joab with David's words and continue the managed response.

What The Form Does In This Verse

Attached To

David's instruction that the messenger deliver reassurance to Joab after reporting battlefield deaths

Governed By

A royal response that minimizes the losses, urges a stronger attack, and manages the consequences of Uriah's arranged death

Role In The Phrase

The command assigns the messenger a final task: reinforce Joab with David's words and continue the managed response.

What It Is Not Doing

The imperative reports David's strategy without morally endorsing his manipulation or concealment of Uriah's death.

How Much The Form Matters Here

Interpretive Weight

High: The form maps David's message chain within a compromised royal strategy.

Syntax Profile

The waw-linked singular Piel imperative directs David's messenger, while the attached third-person suffix identifies Joab as the one encouraged. With these words comes from the speech.. The command assigns the messenger a final task: reinforce Joab with David's words and continue the managed response.. Attached to David's instruction that the messenger deliver reassurance to Joab after reporting battlefield deaths. Governed by a royal response that minimizes the losses, urges a stronger attack, and manages the consequences of Uriah's arranged death. The imperative reports David's strategy without morally endorsing his manipulation or concealment of Uriah's death.

Reader Question

Who must encourage whom in 2 Samuel 11:25? David commands the messenger to encourage Joab with words that minimize the deaths and press the siege forward.

Translation Effect

Direct: Encourage him preserves Joab as the suffix-marked recipient, while with these words is supplied by the quoted-message setting rather than the verb alone.

Where Caution Is Needed

The imperative addresses the messenger, while the suffix points to Joab. Narrated speech does not certify the command's moral rightness.

Fallacies To Avoid

Conj-w | V-Piel-Imp-ms | 3ms at 2 Samuel 11:25 treated as the whole interpretation: Do not infer moral approval from the imperative or use Piel to sanitize David's handling of Uriah's death. the English rendering "Encourage him [with these words]" detached from its Hebrew form: Keep "Encourage him [with these words]" connected to וְחַזְּקֵֽהוּ׃, row 25, and the full 2 Samuel 11:25 clause.

How The Interpretation Is Derived

Textual Witness

The 2 Samuel 11:25 BSB+ word-table row 25 anchors וְחַזְּקֵֽהוּ׃ as H2388, Conj-w | V-Piel-Imp-ms | 3ms, for the rendering "Encourage him [with these words]."

Lexical Identity

For h2388-2-samuel-11-25-conj-w-v-piel-imp-ms-3ms, חָזַק is the lemma behind "Encourage him [with these words]" at row 25; this exact token keeps H2388 tied to 2 Samuel 11:25.

Grammar In Context

The waw-linked singular Piel imperative directs David's messenger, while the attached third-person suffix identifies Joab as the one encouraged. With these words comes from the speech.

Passage Meaning

Second Samuel 11:25 shows David managing the aftermath of Uriah's death through reassurance for Joab and renewed siege orders.

Canonical Fit

The narrator records a command inside David's abuse of royal power; Scripture's inclusion of the speech does not convert David's manipulation into a model for leadership.

Communication Use

Diagram David as speaker, the messenger as commanded agent, and Joab as recipient, then read the reassurance beside the narrator's account of Uriah's death.

Do Not Derive

Do not infer moral approval from the imperative or use Piel to sanitize David's handling of Uriah's death.