HEBREW · STEP 23
A Hebrew description: You are good
Read a short statement from a psalm, and find its subject even when the description comes first.
In this lesson
Recall a speaker’s identification
Before learning another pronoun, read this familiar statement with the earlier models closed.
אֲנִי יוֹסֵף
1. Read the statement. What does ani mean, and why is it neither a person’s name nor the whole expression “I am”?
a-NI yo-SEF: “I am Yosef.” Ani means I, pointing to the speaker. Yosef is the name that identifies him.
English supplies am to express the relationship between the words. Ani alone is a pronoun, not a complete “I am.” Its final yod helps write i; Yosef’s initial yod supplies y.
If the new vowel or yod role needs another look, return to building ani before continuing.
From I to you
I points to the person speaking. You points to the one being addressed. Hebrew has more than one form for you; this lesson introduces just one.
a-TA
You, singular masculine
Singular means one, not a group. Ata is the masculine form used when addressing one man or boy. English you by itself does not show either distinction. Learn ata as singular masculine you.
- Alef with patah gives the opening a.
- Tav with qamats gives ta. In our modern Israeli model, the inside dot leaves tav’s sound as t; it does not require you to double it.
- Final he supports the last a, as in Torah. It adds no final h or extra syllable here.
Read a-TA: two syllables, with the stronger syllable last. All the vowel signs are familiar. As before, a is the vowel in father, not the English name of the letter A.
2. Cover the aid and read אַתָּה. Count its syllables and explain final he and tav’s dot. Does it mean I, one masculine you, or a group?
a-TA, two syllables, with final stress. Final he supports a without adding h. Tav remains t in this reading model, with no extra syllable or required doubled consonant.
Ata means you, singular masculine. Ani means I. Other Hebrew forms of you are future learning.
The psalm addresses Hashem
A psalm is a biblical poem used in prayer. The speaker in Psalm 119 addresses Hashem, “the Name,” our reverent way of referring to God. Verse 68 begins with this description, then speaks of His good actions and asks Him to teach His statutes, His Torah laws.
טוֹב־אַתָּה
You are good.
You know both words now. Set them apart for analysis: טוֹב, tov, good; אַתָּה, a-TA, you. The source joins them with a raised stroke called maqaf.
־ is a joining mark, not a letter or vowel. It links the two words as a reading unit and adds no sound or syllable. Read tov a-TA smoothly, with the stronger beat at TA. Tov remains a word, not a prefix attached to ata.
- Who is addressed?
- Ata, you, points to Hashem in this psalm. You is the subject, the one the statement is about.
- What is said about Him?
- Tov, good, supplies the description. It is the predicate, what the statement says about its subject.
The Hebrew puts the description first: good + you. Natural English says “You are good.” This is another nominal, or verbless, clause. English supplies are; no separate Hebrew word corresponding to are appears in this clause.
The masculine pronoun is the grammatical form of address used here. Read it within the psalm’s prayer to Hashem.
3. Read טוֹב־אַתָּה. Identify its two words and joining mark, then explain whom it addresses and what it says.
tov a-TA: “You are good.” Tov supplies good; ata supplies singular masculine you. Maqaf joins the words without adding a sound.
In this source, you addresses Hashem and good describes Him. The Hebrew puts the description before the subject. The card shows the opening clause, not the whole verse; the good actions and request to be taught belong to the surrounding context.
A phrase and a statement
In the reading workshop, you read יוֹם טוֹב, yom tov, “a good day.” In its 1 Samuel 25:8 setting, David’s requested message to Nabal refers to the sheep-shearing occasion. The phrase describes a day within that larger message.
In our Psalm excerpt, טוֹב־אַתָּה makes a statement about the one addressed. Tov appears in both, but the surrounding words and their relationship matter.
4. Compare the two groups in their supplied contexts. Which describes a day, and which states something about the one addressed? Is their difference simply a space versus a maqaf?
- יוֹם טוֹב, yom tov, is “a good day” within David’s requested message in 1 Samuel.
- טוֹב־אַתָּה, tov a-TA, states “You are good” in the psalm.
The difference is the words’ relationship in these contexts, not simply the joining mark. A space or maqaf alone does not tell you whether a group of words makes a statement.
Change who is being identified
The first line below is constructed practice, written for this lesson. Imagine speaking to a male character named Yosef. The second line is the identification you read from Genesis 45:3.
- אַתָּה יוֹסֵף Constructed practice
- אֲנִי יוֹסֵף Genesis 45:3, clause excerpt
5. Read both lines and render them in English. Whose identity does each state: the speaker’s or the addressee’s?
- אַתָּה יוֹסֵף: a-TA yo-SEF, “You are Yosef.” It identifies the person being addressed.
- אֲנִי יוֹסֵף: a-NI yo-SEF, “I am Yosef.” It identifies the speaker.
The name stays the same; the pronoun changes who is being identified. Only the second line is quoted from Genesis here. The first is an original exercise, not another verse.
Let the actual words correct the rule
6. Repair these claims: “tov ata means I am good”; “maqaf is another vowel”; “a Hebrew statement must always begin with its pronoun.”
- Ata means you, not I. Read the clause as “You are good.”
- Maqaf joins words. It adds no vowel, sound or syllable.
- The psalm puts good before you. The subject is still you, even though it comes second.
Find who the statement is about and what it says about them. This example shows that the pronoun need not come first; it does not turn every possible rearrangement into an equivalent Hebrew statement.
Next session: retrieve two source clauses
Before a warm-up next time, recall the Hebrew for I and you, singular masculine. Then rebuild these two excerpts from their English meanings and source references:
- Genesis 45:3: I am Yosef.
- Psalm 119:68: You are good.
Write the pointed Hebrew if you can, read it, and identify the subject in each. Remember the psalm’s joining mark.
7. Check the pronouns, source clauses and subject positions
אֲנִי, a-NI, I; אַתָּה, a-TA, you, singular masculine.
- אֲנִי יוֹסֵף, a-NI yo-SEF: I is the subject and comes first; Yosef supplies the identity.
- טוֹב־אַתָּה, tov a-TA: you is the subject and comes second; good supplies the description.
Check ani’s hataf-patah and vowel-helper yod; Yosef’s consonantal yod and final pe; ata’s final he; and the maqaf joining tov and ata. English am and are express the relationships naturally.
These are excerpts from separate books and scenes, not one combined biblical sentence.
If you attempt this now, leave yourself another closed-answer attempt for next session. Note whether the feature needing review was reading, word meaning or the relationship between the words.
Explore the sources
Psalm 119 with surrounding English · Ata: form, meaning and stress · Maqaf, Gesenius’s Hebrew Grammar §16 · Nominal clauses, §141
Find verse 68 and locate the clause you read. Use the translation to follow the rest of the verse and its surrounding stanza.
Keep the question pair
For each familiar statement, ask: Who is it about? What does it say about them? Then point to the Hebrew words that support your answer.
Return to Yosef’s identification for the new vowel and yod role. For mixed practice with the earlier vocabulary, use the optional 23-word practice.