Hebrew Form Guide

אִמִּֽי׃ (’im·mî) in Psalms 51:5: Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular

אִמִּֽי׃ (’im·mî) in Psalms 51:5

Source Word

אִמִּֽי׃’im·mîNoun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular

At Psalms 51:5, the Psalms 51:5 source token אִמִּֽי׃ is H517, N-fsc | 1cs. The H517 Psalms 51:5 BSB+ word table row therefore anchors this guide.

How The Form Affects Interpretation

My mother directly represents the suffixed noun, while when is an English connective needed for the clause's natural sense. The psalmist confesses that his problem is not limited to isolated deeds but reaches through his life from its beginning, intensifying his appeal for divine cleansing.

How To Communicate It

Clarify that my comes from the suffix but when does not, then guard the verse from interpretations that shame motherhood or treat conception as morally corrupt.

What Not To Say

  • Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
  • Do not attribute the psalmist's guilt to his mother, and do not build a complete doctrine of inherited sin from the possessive noun by itself.
  • The verse can inform doctrines of pervasive sin, but this noun only identifies the speaker's mother and cannot establish that doctrine alone.
  • Read when my mother within Psalms 51:5 as the H517 occurrence; broader theology requires the passage.

What Does The Label Mean?

Profile

Hebrew-nominal

Part of Speech

Noun

Form Label

Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular

Stem

Not applicable

Aspect

Not applicable

Person

Not applicable

Gender

Feminine

Number

Singular

State

Construct

Suffix

First person Common Singular

Aspect Note

This noun has no aspect; conception is expressed by the neighboring verb, and English adds when to connect the clause naturally.

Verse Role

The construct form of mother receives the first common singular suffix my, while the surrounding clause supplies the temporal relation translated when.

What The Form Does In This Verse

Attached To

The verb conceived me within the psalmist's confession that sinfulness reaches back to his earliest human beginning

Governed By

The movement from the psalmist's acknowledged acts of sin to his deep need for truth and wisdom within

Role In The Phrase

The feminine singular construct noun carries a first common singular suffix, identifying my mother as the subject associated with conceiving the speaker.

What It Is Not Doing

The suffix does not blame the mother, and the noun form does not imply that conception, maternity, or marital intimacy is itself sinful.

How Much The Form Matters Here

Interpretive Weight

High: The psalmist confesses that his problem is not limited to isolated deeds but reaches through his life from its beginning, intensifying his appeal for divine cleansing.

Syntax Profile

The construct form of mother receives the first common singular suffix my, while the surrounding clause supplies the temporal relation translated when.. The feminine singular construct noun carries a first common singular suffix, identifying my mother as the subject associated with conceiving the speaker.. Attached to the verb conceived me within the psalmist's confession that sinfulness reaches back to his earliest human beginning. Governed by the movement from the psalmist's acknowledged acts of sin to his deep need for truth and wisdom within. The suffix does not blame the mother, and the noun form does not imply that conception, maternity, or marital intimacy is itself sinful.

Reader Question

Which parts of when my mother are carried by this Hebrew noun form? The noun and suffix supply my mother; the temporal when comes from how English relates that noun to the conception clause.

Translation Effect

Direct: My mother directly represents the suffixed noun, while when is an English connective needed for the clause's natural sense.

Where Caution Is Needed

The verse can inform doctrines of pervasive sin, but this noun only identifies the speaker's mother and cannot establish that doctrine alone. Poetic confession reaches back to conception without assigning moral fault to the maternal relationship or the act of conception.

Fallacies To Avoid

My mother is blamed: The suffix marks kinship; the speaker is confessing his own deep sinfulness rather than accusing his mother. conception is called sinful: The clause locates the speaker's condition from life's beginning and does not condemn conception or motherhood. morphology replaces literary context: The H517 form clarifies the when my mother relation in Psalms 51:5; the surrounding passage establishes its scope.

How The Interpretation Is Derived

Textual Witness

At Psalms 51:5, the Psalms 51:5 source token אִמִּֽי׃ is H517, N-fsc | 1cs. The H517 Psalms 51:5 BSB+ word table row therefore anchors this guide.

Lexical Identity

אֵם is the lemma behind when my mother here. Within Psalms 51:5, H517 retains this exact lexical identity.

Grammar In Context

The construct form of mother receives the first common singular suffix my, while the surrounding clause supplies the temporal relation translated when.

Passage Meaning

The psalmist confesses that his problem is not limited to isolated deeds but reaches through his life from its beginning, intensifying his appeal for divine cleansing.

Canonical Fit

Psalm 51 places radical human sinfulness beside God's desire for inward truth and His power to cleanse, renew, and restore.

Communication Use

Clarify that my comes from the suffix but when does not, then guard the verse from interpretations that shame motherhood or treat conception as morally corrupt.

Do Not Derive

Do not attribute the psalmist's guilt to his mother, and do not build a complete doctrine of inherited sin from the possessive noun by itself.