Translating Classical Hebrew into English
What you must know
Translation is tested as a skill, not a memory test. You need secure control of verb forms: the perfect (qatal), imperfect (yiqtol), wayyiqtol narrative sequence, imperatives, infinitives (construct and absolute), participles (active and passive), and the cohortative/jussive. Know the stems (qal, niphal, piel, pual, hiphil, hophal, hithpael) and how each changes voice or intensity. Know prepositions with suffixes, the construct chain, pronominal suffixes, and the waw as both conjunction and narrative marker.
Traps in questions
- Literal word order. Hebrew verb-subject-object order rarely maps onto natural English. Rearrange for English syntax while preserving sense.
- Wayyiqtol as simple past. In narrative it usually advances the plot; do not render it as future or habitual.
- Construct chains. Translate the last noun as the head: 'the word of the LORD', not 'the word the LORD'.
- Idioms. Hebrew phrases such as 'to lift the face' or 'to be heavy of heart' need idiomatic English, not word-for-word rendering.
- Tense versus aspect. Hebrew verbs express aspect more than tense; choose English tense from context.
Rule of thumb
Translate in clauses, not words. Identify the main verb first, then its subject, then modifiers. If a clause resists you, ask: what is the function of this phrase (time, cause, purpose, result)?
Worked example
A clause with a fronted infinitive construct plus a preposition (e.g. 'in/at + infinitive') usually expresses purpose or time: render as 'when...' or 'in order to...'. Do not translate the preposition literally if English idiom does not allow it.