Hebrew Form Guide

וַיָּ֙קָם֙ (way·yā·qām) in Jonah 3:6: Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular

וַיָּ֙קָם֙ (way·yā·qām) in Jonah 3:6

Source Word

וַיָּ֙קָם֙way·yā·qāmConjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular

At Jonah 3:6, the source token וַיָּ֙קָם֙ is H6965, Conj-w | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms. The BSB+ word table row therefore anchors this guide.

How The Form Affects Interpretation

He got up conveys the ordinary movement, with from his throne giving it its striking social reversal. Nineveh's ruler leaves throne and robe for sackcloth and ashes, visibly humbling himself under the announced judgment.

How To Communicate It

Trace the movement from throne to ashes and distinguish the physical act from the fuller repentance sequence.

What Not To Say

  • Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
  • Do not equate getting up with conversion by itself or infer a permanent political reform from one narrative verb.
  • The verb simply marks rising; repentance is communicated by the entire sequence and the city's turn from evil.
  • Read he got up within Jonah 3:6 as this H6965 occurrence; broader theology requires the passage.

What Does The Label Mean?

Profile

Hebrew-verb

Part of Speech

Verb

Form Label

Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular

Stem

Qal

Aspect

ConsecImperf

Person

Third

Gender

Masculine

Number

Singular

State

Not applicable

Attached Prefixes

Conjunction w

Suffix

None

Aspect Note

The narrative form presents rising as the first completed step in a sequence of status-lowering actions.

Verse Role

The third masculine singular subject is the king, while from his throne specifies the point he leaves.

What The Form Does In This Verse

Attached To

The king of Nineveh as he rises from his throne

Governed By

The report that Jonah's warning has reached the highest civic authority

Role In The Phrase

The waw-consecutive Qal verb begins the king's embodied response by moving him up from the throne before robe, sackcloth, and ashes.

What It Is Not Doing

Standing up is not itself repentance, and the verb does not prove the king's later faithfulness.

How Much The Form Matters Here

Interpretive Weight

Moderate: Nineveh's ruler leaves throne and robe for sackcloth and ashes, visibly humbling himself under the announced judgment.

Syntax Profile

The third masculine singular subject is the king, while from his throne specifies the point he leaves.. The waw-consecutive Qal verb begins the king's embodied response by moving him up from the throne before robe, sackcloth, and ashes.. Attached to the king of Nineveh as he rises from his throne. Governed by the report that Jonah's warning has reached the highest civic authority. Standing up is not itself repentance, and the verb does not prove the king's later faithfulness.

Reader Question

Why does the account begin the king's response with he got up? His rising initiates a visible descent from royal security toward the humility expressed in sackcloth and ashes.

Translation Effect

Direct: He got up conveys the ordinary movement, with from his throne giving it its striking social reversal.

Where Caution Is Needed

The verb simply marks rising; repentance is communicated by the entire sequence and the city's turn from evil. The text calls him king of Nineveh without this form settling questions about his precise historical title.

Fallacies To Avoid

Bodily action guarantees inward repentance: God later sees the Ninevites' changed ways, not merely the king's posture. one act proves lifelong reform: The narrative reports this crisis response without narrating the king's subsequent reign.

How The Interpretation Is Derived

Textual Witness

At Jonah 3:6, the source token וַיָּ֙קָם֙ is H6965, Conj-w | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms. The BSB+ word table row therefore anchors this guide.

Lexical Identity

קוּם is the lemma behind he got up here. Within Jonah 3:6, H6965 retains this exact lexical identity.

Grammar In Context

The third masculine singular subject is the king, while from his throne specifies the point he leaves.

Passage Meaning

Nineveh's ruler leaves throne and robe for sackcloth and ashes, visibly humbling himself under the announced judgment.

Canonical Fit

No rank places a person beyond the call to turn from evil, though ritual posture must be joined to the changed actions God sees.

Communication Use

Trace the movement from throne to ashes and distinguish the physical act from the fuller repentance sequence.

Do Not Derive

Do not equate getting up with conversion by itself or infer a permanent political reform from one narrative verb.