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The Blue Letter Bible

Imperatives, Emphatic Imperatives, & Negative Prohibitions

Imperatives,
Emphatic Imperatives,
& Negative Prohibitions

Imperatives are simple positive commands, never prohibitions, and are always used with the second person singular or plural of a verb, and the emphatic imperative, like the Cohortative, has a הָ attached to the end of the imperative. In addition, as with the Cohortative and the Jussive, so too with the Imperative, the particle הָ may be attached to the end of the Imperative for emphasis, and also with the appended ־נָא. With regard to a negative prohibition, it will occur with the Hebrew particle לֹא (), "no or not," with a normal imperfect, or with a jussive with the particle אַל (’al), "not."

  1. Simple Imperative
    1. Honor (כַּבֵּדkabbēd) your father and mother,...” (Deuteronomy 5:16).
  2. Emphatic Imperatives with הָ and ־נָא:
    1. “Arise (קוּמָהqûmâ – emphatic imperative with appended הָ) Oh God judge (שָׁפְטָהshophṭâ – emphatic imperative with appended הָ) the earth,...” (Psalm 28:8).
    2. “Speak now (דַּבֶּר־נָא dabber-nâ – emphatic imperative with appended (־נָא in the hearing of the people...” (Exodus 11:2).
  3. Negative Prohibition
    1. “you will not listen (לֹא תִשְׁמַעlō’ tišma‘) to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams;...” (Deuteronomy 13:3).
    2. “Do not hide (אַל־תַּסְתֵּר’al-tastēr) Your face from me,...” (Psalm 27:9).
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CONTENT DISCLAIMER:

The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. Since the text and audio content provided by BLB represent a range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed in the resource materials are not necessarily affirmed, in total, by this ministry.