לָב֤וֹא (lā·ḇō·w) in Jonah 1:3: Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
לָב֤וֹא (lā·ḇō·w) in Jonah 1:3
Source Word
The BSB+ row for Jonah 1:3 links the English rendering "to sail" with לָב֤וֹא, Strong's H935, and the morphology label Prep-l | V-Qal-Inf.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form clarifies the movement of the verse: Jonah boards the ship in order to travel with the sailors toward Tarshish.
How To Communicate It
In explanation, this form can help readers track the concrete travel action before moving to the larger theme of flight from the Lord.
What Not To Say
- Grammar should serve context, not override it.
- Do not make the lamed infinitive carry the whole theology of Jonah's flight.
- Do not treat the English rendering "to sail" as the whole lexical range of the lemma.
- Do not make the Qal stem prove a theological point by itself.
- Let the surrounding narrative define the significance of leaving for Tarshish.
What Does The Label Mean?
Hebrew-verb
Verb
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Lamed preposition
Qal
Infinitive construct
Not marked
Not marked
Not marked
The infinitive form expresses the verbal idea inside its phrase; the surrounding clause supplies its role.
This form carries the BSB rendering "to sail" within Jonah 1:3. 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
Jonah's boarding of the ship in Jonah 1:3, where he goes down into it to sail with the sailors to Tarshish
The prefixed lamed on a Qal infinitive construct within Jonah's travel-purpose clause
It states the intended movement after boarding the ship: Jonah means to travel with them toward Tarshish and away from the Lord's presence.
It does not define the whole theology of flight, presence, or disobedience by itself; the narrative supplies that meaning.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The form marks Jonah's intended travel direction in the verse that narrates his flight.
Lamed-prefixed Qal infinitive construct. expresses the intended travel with the sailors toward Tarshish. Attached to Jonah going down into the ship. Governed by the boarding clause and travel phrase. The grammar marks the travel purpose; the narrative explains why that travel is disobedient flight.
Why did Jonah go down into the ship? To travel with them toward Tarshish, away from the Lord's presence in the narrative.
Direct: The lamed infinitive directly supports the travel-purpose rendering "to sail."
The English rendering "to sail" is context-specific because the verse speaks of entering a ship. The lamed infinitive gives travel purpose, but the narrative supplies the theme of flight. The form should not be treated as a complete word study for the lemma.
To sail is the lexical meaning everywhere: This rendering comes from the ship context in Jonah 1:3. grammar alone proves rebellion: The form marks travel purpose; the narrative frames it as flight from the Lord. lamed infinitive always has the same force: The surrounding clause decides whether the force is purpose, result, complement, or another relation.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The BSB+ row for Jonah 1:3 links the English rendering "to sail" with לָב֤וֹא, Strong's H935, and the morphology label Prep-l | V-Qal-Inf.
H935 is represented here by the lemma בּוֹא. In this occurrence, the public guide is limited to the BSB rendering "to sail" rather than every possible gloss of the entry.
The lamed infinitive depends on Jonah's action of going down into the ship and explains the intended travel with the sailors.
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 1:3, use this form to show Jonah's intended travel direction before explaining the deeper narrative theme of flight from the Lord.
Do not derive a full theology of divine presence or prophetic disobedience from Prep-l | V-Qal-Inf alone. The form marks Jonah's travel-purpose phrase.