בְּֽבוֹא־ (bə·ḇō·w-) in Psalms 51:1: Preposition-b | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
בְּֽבוֹא־ (bə·ḇō·w-) in Psalms 51:1
Source Word
The BSB+ row for Psalms 51:1 links the English rendering "came" with בְּֽבוֹא־, Strong's H935, and the parsing label Prep-b | V-Qal-Inf.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form helps anchor the psalm heading in a narrative setting: Nathan came to David. Its value is contextual rather than the main interpretive weight of the prayer.
How To Communicate It
Explain this as a bet-prefixed infinitive in the heading, marking when Nathan came. Then move from the heading into the psalm's confession, mercy, and restoration language.
What Not To Say
- Grammar should serve context, not override it.
- Do not make the inf 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
Preposition-b | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Prep-b
Qal
Infinitive
Not marked
Not marked
Not marked
The bet-prefixed infinitive supplies the temporal setting in the psalm heading; the heading, not the form alone, identifies the narrative situation.
This form carries the BSB rendering "came" within Psalms 51:1. Psalm 51 gives language for confession, cleansing, restoration, renewed joy, and renewed praise before God.
Construct
What The Form Does In This Verse
The heading event rendered "came" in Psalms 51:1
The phrase belongs to the psalm heading that situates the prayer after Nathan came to David.
It uses a bet-prefixed Qal infinitive to mark the temporal setting of Nathan's coming.
It does not make the heading event carry the whole interpretation of Psalm 51, and it does not turn the form into a full word study of coming.
How Much The Form Matters Here
Moderate: The form helps set the historical frame of Psalm 51 but does not carry the main confession or prayer of the psalm.
Bet-prefixed infinitive heading phrase. marks the temporal setting for the psalm. Attached to the psalm heading about Nathan coming to David. Governed by the superscription or heading frame of Psalms 51:1. The form supports the heading context; the psalm body carries the prayer's theological development.
What event helps set the psalm's heading? The heading points to Nathan coming to David.
Direct: The bet-prefixed infinitive supports the heading phrase rendered "came."
This occurrence is in the psalm heading, so its interpretive weight is contextual rather than the main argument of the prayer. The bet preposition with an infinitive marks setting here; do not force every occurrence into the same English wording.
Heading grammar controls the whole psalm: The heading supplies setting; the psalm body supplies the confession, plea, and restoration theology. Qal means simple action: Qal identifies the stem, not a complete explanation of the narrative setting.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The BSB+ row for Psalms 51:1 links the English rendering "came" with בְּֽבוֹא־, Strong's H935, and the parsing label Prep-b | V-Qal-Inf.
H935 is represented here by the lemma בּוֹא. In this occurrence, the public guide is limited to the BSB rendering "came" rather than every possible gloss of the entry.
The bet-prefixed Qal infinitive functions in the psalm heading to locate the prayer in relation to Nathan coming to David. The form helps mark setting; the psalm itself supplies the confession and plea for mercy.
Psalm 51 gives language for confession, cleansing, restoration, renewed joy, and renewed praise before God.
The form fits Scripture's pattern of repentance, mercy, cleansing, and restored worship before the Lord.
When teaching Psalms 51:1, use this form to show how the heading gives historical setting without making the grammar of the heading carry the whole theology of repentance.
Do not derive a full word study, grammar doctrine, or theology of repentance from Prep-b | V-Qal-Inf alone. The form identifies the occurrence-level setting phrase in the heading.