Hebrew Form Guide

בַּעֲל֥וֹת (ba·‘ă·lō·wṯ) in Jonah 4:7: Preposition-b | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct

בַּעֲל֥וֹת (ba·‘ă·lō·wṯ) in Jonah 4:7

Source Word

בַּעֲל֥וֹתba·‘ă·lō·wṯPreposition-b | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct

At Jonah 4:7, the source token בַּעֲל֥וֹת is H5927, Prep-b | V-Qal-Inf. The BSB+ word table row therefore anchors this guide.

How The Form Affects Interpretation

When dawn came idiomatically expresses beth plus the infinitive and its dawn subject. At the next dawn, God appoints a worm to strike the plant, turning Jonah's brief comfort into the next stage of instruction.

How To Communicate It

Explain the rising-root idiom for dawn and let the temporal clause mark the precise reversal from comfort to loss.

What Not To Say

  • Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
  • Do not confuse this H5927 infinitive with the plant's earlier growth or infer that dawn itself causes the withering.
  • The root's upward sense fits sunrise, while English commonly speaks of dawn coming.
  • Read came within Jonah 4:7 as this H5927 occurrence; broader theology requires the passage.

What Does The Label Mean?

Profile

Hebrew-verb

Part of Speech

Verb

Form Label

Preposition-b | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct

Stem

Qal

Aspect

Inf

Person

Not applicable

Gender

Not applicable

Number

Not applicable

State

Not applicable

Attached Prefixes

Preposition b

Suffix

None

Aspect Note

The infinitive does not carry tense by itself; the narrative sequence locates dawn after the night of shade.

Verse Role

Beth converts the infinitive into a time-setting clause, with dawn supplying the event whose arrival marks the moment.

What The Form Does In This Verse

Attached To

The coming up of dawn as the time God appoints the worm

Governed By

The temporal clause introducing the plant's destruction the next day

Role In The Phrase

The beth-prefixed Qal infinitive forms a temporal expression: when dawn rose or came.

What It Is Not Doing

The verb does not describe the plant growing again or make dawn an independent divine agent.

How Much The Form Matters Here

Interpretive Weight

Moderate: At the next dawn, God appoints a worm to strike the plant, turning Jonah's brief comfort into the next stage of instruction.

Syntax Profile

Beth converts the infinitive into a time-setting clause, with dawn supplying the event whose arrival marks the moment.. The beth-prefixed Qal infinitive forms a temporal expression: when dawn rose or came.. Attached to the coming up of dawn as the time God appoints the worm. Governed by the temporal clause introducing the plant's destruction the next day. The verb does not describe the plant growing again or make dawn an independent divine agent.

Reader Question

Why is a verb meaning rise rendered came with dawn? The beth-infinitive construction uses dawn's rising as the time marker: when the next morning arrived.

Translation Effect

Direct: When dawn came idiomatically expresses beth plus the infinitive and its dawn subject.

Where Caution Is Needed

The root's upward sense fits sunrise, while English commonly speaks of dawn coming. God appoints the worm in the main clause; the temporal infinitive only tells when.

Fallacies To Avoid

Same root means the plant is subject: This token belongs to the dawn clause, not the prior verse's plant-growth clause. time marker carries causal force: When locates the appointment; it does not make dawn the cause of the plant's death.

How The Interpretation Is Derived

Textual Witness

At Jonah 4:7, the source token בַּעֲל֥וֹת is H5927, Prep-b | V-Qal-Inf. The BSB+ word table row therefore anchors this guide.

Lexical Identity

עָלָה is the lemma behind came here. Within Jonah 4:7, H5927 retains this exact lexical identity.

Grammar In Context

Beth converts the infinitive into a time-setting clause, with dawn supplying the event whose arrival marks the moment.

Passage Meaning

At the next dawn, God appoints a worm to strike the plant, turning Jonah's brief comfort into the next stage of instruction.

Canonical Fit

The same sovereign Lord appoints relief and removal, using changing circumstances to expose the prophet's heart.

Communication Use

Explain the rising-root idiom for dawn and let the temporal clause mark the precise reversal from comfort to loss.

Do Not Derive

Do not confuse this H5927 infinitive with the plant's earlier growth or infer that dawn itself causes the withering.