Hebrew Form Guide

חַיֵּ֔יהוּ (ḥay·yê·hū) in Habakkuk 3:2: Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine singular | third person masculine singular

חַיֵּ֔יהוּ (ḥay·yê·hū) in Habakkuk 3:2

Source Word

חַיֵּ֔יהוּḥay·yê·hūVerb - Piel - Imperative - masculine singular | third person masculine singular

Habakkuk 3:2 row 7 aligns H2421 with Revive them inside the direct prayer addressed twice to the Lord.

How The Form Affects Interpretation

Revive them turns awe at past deeds into a request that the Lord renew his own work in the prophet's present years. The masculine singular suffix refers to the divine work or deed viewed collectively, while the BSB's them follows the preceding English plural deeds.

How To Communicate It

Begin with the report and awe, identify the Lord as the imperative's addressee, trace the suffix to the divine work, and keep renewal joined to revelation and mercy.

What Not To Say

  • Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
  • Do not turn the Piel imperative into a revival technique or detach the request from Habakkuk's awe, historical crisis, and plea for mercy.
  • The Hebrew suffix is singular even though the BSB renders the collective antecedent as them.
  • The imperative does not command a human audience to manufacture revival, set a timetable, or make the Piel stem define what renewal must look like.

What Does The Label Mean?

Profile

Hebrew-verb

Part of Speech

Verb

Form Label

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

Suffix

Third person masculine singular

Aspect Note

The Piel imperative addresses the Lord as a masculine singular hearer, and the attached third-person masculine singular suffix points back to the divine work or deeds whose renewal the prophet seeks. The English them presents that collective work naturally in context.

Verse Role

The form makes renewal a direct petition to the Lord and keeps his own work as the suffix-marked object of the request.

What The Form Does In This Verse

Attached To

Habakkuk's awe-filled response to the report of the Lord and his deeds

Governed By

The prayer sequence asking the Lord to renew his work, make it known in these years, and remember mercy in wrath

Role In The Phrase

The form makes renewal a direct petition to the Lord and keeps his own work as the suffix-marked object of the request.

What It Is Not Doing

The imperative does not command a human audience to manufacture revival, set a timetable, or make the Piel stem define what renewal must look like.

How Much The Form Matters Here

Interpretive Weight

High: The form places God's own work at the center of an urgent prayer that holds renewal and mercy together.

Syntax Profile

The Piel imperative addresses the Lord as a masculine singular hearer, and the attached third-person masculine singular suffix points back to the divine work or deeds whose renewal the prophet seeks. The English them presents that collective work naturally in context.. The form makes renewal a direct petition to the Lord and keeps his own work as the suffix-marked object of the request.. Attached to Habakkuk's awe-filled response to the report of the Lord and his deeds. Governed by the prayer sequence asking the Lord to renew his work, make it known in these years, and remember mercy in wrath. The imperative does not command a human audience to manufacture revival, set a timetable, or make the Piel stem define what renewal must look like.

Reader Question

Who is asked to revive what in Habakkuk 3:2? Habakkuk asks the Lord to renew his own work or deeds in the prophet's years and to remember mercy in wrath.

Translation Effect

Direct: The masculine singular suffix refers to the divine work or deed viewed collectively, while the BSB's them follows the preceding English plural deeds.

Where Caution Is Needed

The Hebrew suffix is singular even though the BSB renders the collective antecedent as them. The imperative expresses petition to God, not human control over God's timing or action.

Fallacies To Avoid

V-Piel-Imp-ms | 3ms at Habakkuk 3:2 treated as the whole interpretation: Do not turn the Piel imperative into a revival technique or detach the request from Habakkuk's awe, historical crisis, and plea for mercy. revive them treated as a formula by which people can produce spiritual renewal on demand: Keep "Revive them" connected to חַיֵּ֔יהוּ, row 7, and the full Habakkuk 3:2 clause.

How The Interpretation Is Derived

Textual Witness

Habakkuk 3:2 row 7 aligns H2421 with Revive them inside the direct prayer addressed twice to the Lord.

Lexical Identity

This row 7 H2421 occurrence asks the Lord to renew his work, distinct from raising the ewe lamb in Second Samuel 12:3 or preserving Israel in Deuteronomy 6:24.

Grammar In Context

The Piel imperative addresses the Lord as a masculine singular hearer, and the attached third-person masculine singular suffix points back to the divine work or deeds whose renewal the prophet seeks. The English them presents that collective work naturally in context.

Passage Meaning

Habakkuk 3:2 answers the report of the Lord with awe and prayer, asking God to renew and disclose his work while showing mercy amid wrath.

Canonical Fit

This appeal belongs to Habakkuk's prophetic prayer as he faces the Lord's coming work; later prayers for renewal should preserve its reverence, divine agency, and plea for mercy.

Communication Use

Begin with the report and awe, identify the Lord as the imperative's addressee, trace the suffix to the divine work, and keep renewal joined to revelation and mercy.

Do Not Derive

Do not turn the Piel imperative into a revival technique or detach the request from Habakkuk's awe, historical crisis, and plea for mercy.