וְחַזְּקֵ֨נִי (wə·ḥaz·zə·qê·nî) in Judges 16:28: Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine singular | first person common singular
וְחַזְּקֵ֨נִי (wə·ḥaz·zə·qê·nî) in Judges 16:28
Source Word
The Judges 16:28 BSB+ word-table row 10 anchors וְחַזְּקֵ֨נִי as H2388, Conj-w | V-Piel-Imp-ms | 1cs, for the rendering "Strengthen me."
How The Form Affects Interpretation
Strengthen me makes Samson both dependent petitioner and intended recipient, while the prayer's stated motive preserves the scene's moral tension. Strengthen me represents the imperative petition and the first-person suffix, with once more supplied by Samson's plea for a final act.
How To Communicate It
Identify God as addressee and Samson as suffix-marked recipient, then keep the request's dependence, judicial setting, and vengeance motive visible together.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Do not turn the imperative into a technique for commanding God or approval of personal revenge.
- The imperative functions as urgent petition, not human authority over God.
- An imperative addressed to God is a petition, not control, and its grammar does not endorse Samson's vengeance motive.
What Does The Label Mean?
Hebrew-verb
Verb
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine singular | first person common singular
Piel
Imp
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Waw conjunction
First person common singular
The waw-linked singular Piel imperative addresses God, and the attached first-person common singular suffix makes Samson the requested recipient: strengthen me.
The command-form prayer asks God to give Samson strength for one final act, with Samson marked as recipient.
What The Form Does In This Verse
Samson's direct appeal to the Lord God for strength one final time
A prayer spoken at the Philistine gathering after Samson's capture, blinding, humiliation, and placement between the pillars
The command-form prayer asks God to give Samson strength for one final act, with Samson marked as recipient.
An imperative addressed to God is a petition, not control, and its grammar does not endorse Samson's vengeance motive.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The form compresses Samson's dependence and desperation into a morally complex final request.
The waw-linked singular Piel imperative addresses God, and the attached first-person common singular suffix makes Samson the requested recipient: strengthen me.. The command-form prayer asks God to give Samson strength for one final act, with Samson marked as recipient.. Attached to Samson's direct appeal to the Lord God for strength one final time. Governed by a prayer spoken at the Philistine gathering after Samson's capture, blinding, humiliation, and placement between the pillars. An imperative addressed to God is a petition, not control, and its grammar does not endorse Samson's vengeance motive.
Who is asked to strengthen whom in Judges 16:28? Samson asks God to strengthen him once more so he can strike the Philistines for his eyes.
Direct: Strengthen me represents the imperative petition and the first-person suffix, with once more supplied by Samson's plea for a final act.
The imperative functions as urgent petition, not human authority over God. God's use of Samson does not declare every voiced motive righteous.
Conj-w | V-Piel-Imp-ms | 1cs at Judges 16:28 treated as the whole interpretation: Do not turn the imperative into a technique for commanding God or approval of personal revenge. the English rendering "Strengthen me" detached from its Hebrew form: Keep "Strengthen me" connected to וְחַזְּקֵ֨נִי, row 10, and the full Judges 16:28 clause.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The Judges 16:28 BSB+ word-table row 10 anchors וְחַזְּקֵ֨נִי as H2388, Conj-w | V-Piel-Imp-ms | 1cs, for the rendering "Strengthen me."
For h2388-judges-16-28-conj-w-v-piel-imp-ms-1cs, חָזַק is the lemma behind "Strengthen me" at row 10; this exact token keeps H2388 tied to Judges 16:28.
The waw-linked singular Piel imperative addresses God, and the attached first-person common singular suffix makes Samson the requested recipient: strengthen me.
Judges 16:28 records Samson's final appeal in a scene where divine judgment and personal vengeance remain closely entangled.
Judges presents divine deliverance through a deeply compromised judge; the narrative's theological purpose must be held together with its candid portrayal of Samson's vengeance.
Identify God as addressee and Samson as suffix-marked recipient, then keep the request's dependence, judicial setting, and vengeance motive visible together.
Do not turn the imperative into a technique for commanding God or approval of personal revenge.