וִּקְרָ֤א (wiq·rå̄) in Jonah 3:2: Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
וִּקְרָ֤א (wiq·rå̄) in Jonah 3:2
Source Word
The BSB+ row for Jonah 3:2 links the English rendering "and proclaim" with וִּקְרָ֤א, Strong's H7121, and the parsing label Conj-w | V-Qal-Imp-ms.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form sharpens the commission: Jonah must proclaim, and the content of that proclamation is not self-created. The grammar supports both the command and its submission to the Lord's word.
How To Communicate It
Use the form to ask what Jonah is commanded to do and where the message comes from. The answer keeps proclamation tied to divine commission rather than personal initiative.
What Not To Say
- Grammar should serve context, not override it.
- Do not use the command form by itself to settle every theological question about response or obedience.
- 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 - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Conjunctive waw
Qal
Imperative
Not marked
Not marked
Not marked
The imperative form gives direct force to the action, while the verse and passage determine the scope of the command or appeal.
This form carries the BSB rendering "and proclaim" within Jonah 3:2. Jonah 3 shows the renewed command, the preaching in Nineveh, repentance, and mercy.
What The Form Does In This Verse
The command rendered "and proclaim" in Jonah 3:2
The command belongs to the Lord's renewed commission to Jonah concerning Nineveh.
It names Jonah's commanded speech action and ties proclamation to the message the Lord will give him.
The form does not authorize speech beyond the Lord's message, prove every use of H7121, or make Qal mean "simple" in a theological sense.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The form carries Jonah's renewed prophetic commission to proclaim the Lord's message to Nineveh.
Coordinated imperative in prophetic commission. commands Jonah to proclaim what the Lord gives him to say. Attached to Jonah's commanded proclamation to Nineveh. Governed by the Lord's command and the message clause in Jonah 3:2. The conjunction coordinates this command with the surrounding commission language.
What is Jonah commanded to do with the Lord's message? He is commanded to proclaim it to Nineveh.
Direct: The imperative form directly supports the English command "and proclaim."
The imperative marks command force, but the following message clause limits the proclamation to what the Lord gives. The Qal label should not be translated into a claim that the command is simple or shallow.
Imperative means unrestricted authority to speak: The command is bounded by the Lord's message in Jonah 3:2. Qal means simple: Qal names the stem; it does not reduce the seriousness of the prophetic commission.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The BSB+ row for Jonah 3:2 links the English rendering "and proclaim" with וִּקְרָ֤א, Strong's H7121, and the parsing label Conj-w | V-Qal-Imp-ms.
H7121 is represented here by the lemma קָרָא. In this occurrence, the public guide is limited to the BSB rendering "and proclaim" rather than every possible gloss of the entry.
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular functions as a direct command to Jonah in the renewed commission. The command is governed by the phrase about the message the Lord tells him.
Jonah 3 shows the renewed command, the preaching in Nineveh, repentance, and mercy.
The form fits Scripture's witness to mercy, repentance, prophetic obedience, and God's compassion for the nations.
When teaching Jonah 3:2, use this form to show that Jonah is commanded to proclaim, but also that his proclamation is bounded by the Lord's given message.
Do not make the imperative a general warrant for self-authorized speech, and do not treat Qal as meaning the command is theologically simple. The form marks Jonah's commissioned action in this verse.