וְנַפִּ֣ילָה (wə·nap·pî·lāh) in Jonah 1:7: Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative - first person common plural
וְנַפִּ֣ילָה (wə·nap·pî·lāh) in Jonah 1:7
Source Word
The BSB+ row for Jonah 1:7 links the English rendering "Let us cast" with וְנַפִּ֣ילָה, Strong's H5307, and the parsing label Conj-w | V-Hifil-ConjImperf.Cohort-1cp.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form marks a collective crisis decision: the sailors move from fear to a shared plan to cast lots.
How To Communicate It
Use this form to show how Hebrew can mark a group proposal with let us force inside the verb.
What Not To Say
- Grammar should serve context, not override it.
- Do not make the imperfect label prove more than the sentence supports.
- Do not use the stem label by itself to settle a theological claim.
- Do not treat this occurrence as a complete word study for the whole Hebrew lemma.
What Does The Label Mean?
Hebrew-verb
Verb
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative - first person common plural
Conjunctive waw
Hifil
Conj Imperf Cohort
First person
Common
Plural
The conjunctive imperfect form joins the action to its context and may carry modal force; Jonah 1:7 determines how that force is heard.
This form carries the BSB rendering "Let us cast" within Jonah 1:7. 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 action or phrase rendered "Let us cast" in Jonah 1:7
The form is governed by the sailors' proposal to cast lots in order to identify the cause of the calamity.
It voices the sailors' shared resolve to cast lots, so the cohortative force is part of their crisis response.
The form does not by itself settle every use of H5307, every possible translation, or the whole doctrine connected to this passage.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The form marks the sailors' shared proposal that drives the lot-casting scene.
Waw-linked Hifil cohortative first plural. expresses a shared proposal by the speaking group. Attached to the let us cast lots proposal. Governed by the sailors' crisis plan. The form carries volitional force; the narrative decides how the lot-casting functions.
What do the sailors propose? They propose to cast lots to identify the cause of the calamity.
Direct: The form directly supports let us cast.
Cohortative force should be heard as proposal or resolve, not a simple future. Hifil fits the action of causing lots to fall but should not be turned into a doctrine of guidance alone.
Cohortative means command rather than proposal: Here the form voices the sailors' shared proposal; the speech context controls the force.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The BSB+ row for Jonah 1:7 links the English rendering "Let us cast" with וְנַפִּ֣ילָה, Strong's H5307, and the parsing label Conj-w | V-Hifil-ConjImperf.Cohort-1cp.
H5307 is represented here by the lemma נָפַל. In this occurrence, the public guide is limited to the BSB rendering "Let us cast" rather than every possible gloss of the entry.
The cohortative first plural gives volitional force to the sailors' proposal, and the Hifil stem fits the action of causing the lots to fall.
Jonah 1 follows the prophet's flight, the storm at sea, and the sailors' growing fear as disobedience is exposed.
The form fits Scripture's witness to mercy, repentance, prophetic obedience, and God's compassion for the nations.
When teaching Jonah 1:7, show how the form carries a shared proposal before the narrative reports the action.
Do not make the lot-casting theology rest on Hifil or cohortative form alone. The narrative explains why the sailors take this action.