Hebrew · Lesson 20

Qal Infinitives — Construct and Absoluteשְׁמֹר · שָׁמוֹר — one root, two infinitives

English has one infinitive: "to guard." Hebrew has two. The infinitive construct (שְׁמֹר shemor) is the more common, functional infinitive — a verbal noun that takes prepositions, pronominal suffixes, and slots into construct chains. The infinitive absolute (שָׁמוֹר shamor) is the emphatic and idiomatic infinitive — used with a finite verb to intensify the action (שָׁמוֹר תִּשְׁמֹר "you shall surely guard"), as an imperative substitute, and as an adverbial complement. Two forms, two distinct uses, both built from the same root.

Self-check before reading on

Genesis 2:17 contains the famous phrase מוֹת תָּמוּת — two forms of the root מות ("to die") side by side. The first is mot, the second is tamut ("you shall die"). Why would Hebrew put two forms of the same verb back-to-back? What does it mean?

Reveal answer

The first word, מוֹת, is the infinitive absolute of מוּת ("to die"). The second, תָּמוּת, is the 2ms imperfect ("you shall die"). When Hebrew places an infinitive absolute directly before a finite form of the same verb, the construction is emphatic: "dying you shall die" → "you shall surely die." This is one of the signature uses of the infinitive absolute and a pattern that runs through the Hebrew Bible. This lesson teaches you both infinitives and the constructions that use them.

Watch · 22-Slide Overview

Qal Infinitives — The Visual Tour

Why Hebrew has two infinitives rather than one; the infinitive construct as a verbal noun; its forms (שְׁמֹר) and its uses with the prepositions לְ, בְּ, and כְּ; with pronominal suffixes (שָׁמְרִי "my guarding"); in construct chains; the ubiquitous לֵאמֹר ("saying"); the infinitive absolute (שָׁמוֹר); its emphatic use with finite verbs (שָׁמוֹר תִּשְׁמֹר); as an imperative substitute (Deut 5:12); the Genesis 2:17 walkthrough; adverbial uses; a side-by-side grid; common mistakes; and the drill plan.

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LESSON 20 · Unit IV — The Hebrew Verb: Qal · ~55 minutes + drilling

By the End of This Lesson

Explain the difference between the infinitive construct and the infinitive absolute
Recognize the Qal infinitive construct (שְׁמֹר) and infinitive absolute (שָׁמוֹר) on sight
Parse and translate the infinitive construct with the prepositions לְ, בְּ, and כְּ
Parse the infinitive construct with pronominal suffixes (שָׁמְרִי "my guarding")
Recognize the emphatic construction (inf absolute + finite verb of the same root) and translate it with "surely"
Read Genesis 2:17 (מוֹת תָּמוּת) and explain the grammar
Recognize לֵאמֹר as the infinitive construct of אָמַר with the preposition לְ

Why Two Infinitives?

English has one infinitive — "to guard," "to walk," "to die." It serves every infinitive function: as the complement of another verb ("I want to guard"), as a purpose clause ("I came to guard"), as a subject ("to guard is good"), and as an idiomatic intensifier ("you will surely die"). One form, many jobs.

Hebrew splits these jobs between two distinct forms. The infinitive construct handles the verbal-noun work: it takes prepositions, pronominal suffixes, and slots into construct chains. The infinitive absolute handles the emphatic and adverbial work: it intensifies finite verbs and stands in for imperatives. The two forms are built on the same root, but they have different vocalizations, different syntactic behavior, and different uses.

Once you've internalized this division of labor, a huge slice of Hebrew syntax opens up. The infinitive construct shows up roughly once every few verses in the prose narratives; the infinitive absolute is rarer but rhetorically loud — when you see one, the writer is usually doing something deliberate.

💡 Tip — the names are misleading "Construct" and "absolute" here are not the same "construct" and "absolute" you met in Lesson 10 for nouns. The terminology is borrowed and slightly recycled. Don't try to make the two systems line up; just learn the infinitive forms by their own behavior.

The Infinitive Construct — Form

The Qal infinitive construct of שָׁמַר ("to guard") is שְׁמֹר shemor. It looks like a stripped-down verb — two consonants with a vocal shewa and a holem.

Root	Meaning	Inf. Construct	Transliteration
שׁמר	to guard	שְׁמֹר	shemor
כתב	to write	כְּתֹב	ketov
מלך	to reign	מְלֹךְ	melokh
קטל	to kill	קְטֹל	qetol

Memory hook

The infinitive construct looks like the imperative. The 2ms imperative of שָׁמַר is שְׁמֹר — identical in form to the infinitive construct. The forms diverge in context: an infinitive construct will typically have a preposition (לִשְׁמֹר) or a suffix (שָׁמְרִי); a bare שְׁמֹר standing alone is most likely the imperative.

Infinitive Construct + לְ — Purpose and Complement

By far the most common use of the infinitive construct is with the prefixed preposition לְ. The combination expresses purpose ("in order to") or serves as the complement of another verb ("to do X").

Hebrew	Transliteration	Translation
לִשְׁמֹר	lishmor	to guard / in order to guard
לִכְתֹּב	likhtov	to write
לֵאמֹר	le'mor	to say / saying
לָבוֹא	lavo	to come (irregular, from בּוֹא)

שָׁמַרְתִּי לִשְׁמֹר אֶת־הַתּוֹרָה

— shamarti lishmor et-hatorah —

"I undertook to guard the torah." The finite verb שָׁמַרְתִּי ("I guarded / I kept") is followed by the infinitive construct לִשְׁמֹר ("to guard"), which serves as its complement. The infinitive construct is acting as a verbal noun ("the guarding") — and yet it still takes a direct object marked by אֶת. This dual nature — half noun, half verb — is the heart of the infinitive construct's grammar.

Infinitive Construct + בְּ and כְּ — Temporal Clauses

When the infinitive construct is prefixed with בְּ ("in") or כְּ ("as / like"), the result is a temporal clause: "when X happened," "as X was happening."

Form	Transliteration	Translation
בִּשְׁמֹר	bishmor	in / when guarding
כִּשְׁמֹר	kishmor	as / when guarding
בְּבוֹא	bevo	when coming / when (he) came
כִּכְתֹּב	kikhtov	when writing / as writing

💡 Tip — temporal infinitive constructs A typical pattern: בִּשְׁמֹר־דָּוִד אֶת־הַתּוֹרָה — "when David guarded the torah." The subject of the action (David) often comes immediately after the infinitive, in what looks like a construct relationship; or the subject is attached as a pronominal suffix. Translate these as English subordinate clauses with "when" or "as."

Infinitive Construct with Pronominal Suffixes

The infinitive construct can take pronominal suffixes — and when it does, the suffix represents the subject of the implied action, not the object.

Hebrew	Parsing	Translation
שָׁמְרִי	inf cstr + 1cs suffix	my guarding / (when) I guard
שָׁמְרְךָ	inf cstr + 2ms suffix	your guarding
שָׁמְרוֹ	inf cstr + 3ms suffix	his guarding
לְשָׁמְרִי	לְ + inf cstr + 1cs	for me to guard / so that I guard
בְּשָׁמְרְךָ	בְּ + inf cstr + 2ms	when you guard / in your guarding

בְּשָׁמְרְךָ אֶת־מִצְוֹתָיו

— beshomrekha et-mitzvotav —

"When you keep his commandments." The infinitive construct שָׁמְר־ takes the 2ms suffix ־ךָ (the subject "you"), and the whole form is prefixed with בְּ ("when"). The direct object — אֶת־מִצְוֹתָיו — follows separately. Notice how compact Hebrew is: four English words ("when you keep his") fit inside one Hebrew word.

Infinitive Construct in Construct Chains

Because the infinitive construct is a verbal noun, it can stand as the first element of a construct chain (Lesson 10). The noun that follows is normally the object of the implied verbal action.

Hebrew	Translation	Pattern
שְׁמֹר תּוֹרָה	guarding (of) torah	inf cstr + absolute noun
בְּנֹת יְרוּשָׁלָיִם	daughters of Jerusalem	(noun example, for comparison)
יוֹם מוֹת	day of (the) dying	noun + inf cstr (rare order)

💡 Tip — verbal noun, full verb The infinitive construct retains verbal properties even when it stands like a noun in a construct chain: it can take a direct object marked by אֶת, and it can govern adverbs. It's a noun grammatically but a verb semantically. Latin and Greek have similar hybrids (the Latin gerund, the Greek articular infinitive); the Hebrew construct infinitive is the same kind of creature.

The Ubiquitous לֵאמֹר

One particular infinitive construct deserves its own section: לֵאמֹר le'mor ("to say," "saying"). This is the infinitive construct of אָמַר ("to say") prefixed with לְ. It appears more than 900 times in the Hebrew Bible.

Its job is simple but indispensable: it marks the beginning of direct speech. Whenever a Hebrew narrator says "X spoke / commanded / answered Y, saying ...," the word that introduces the quoted words is almost always לֵאמֹר.

וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר

— wayedabber YHWH el-Moshe le'mor —

"And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying..." The opening formula of dozens of paragraphs in the Pentateuch. The wayyiqtol verb וַיְדַבֵּר ("and he spoke") is followed by the addressee, then by לֵאמֹר — which announces that direct speech follows. English would render it with a colon and quotation marks; Hebrew uses this infinitive construct.

The Infinitive Absolute — Form

The Qal infinitive absolute of שָׁמַר is שָׁמוֹר shamor. Note the vowels: qamatz under the first consonant, holem-vav after the second. This is the standard Qal pattern: qaaTOL.

Root	Meaning	Inf. Absolute	Transliteration
שׁמר	to guard	שָׁמוֹר	shamor
כתב	to write	כָּתוֹב	katov
מלך	to reign	מָלוֹךְ	malokh
מות	to die	מוֹת	mot (irregular hollow root)

Memory hook

Absolute = long vowels. Construct = reduced vowels. Compare שָׁמוֹר (long qamatz, long holem-vav) with שְׁמֹר (vocal shewa, plain holem). The absolute is the "fat" form, the construct the "lean" form. The mnemonic matches the function: the absolute stands on its own with rhetorical weight; the construct is bound to prepositions and suffixes.

The Emphatic Construction — Infinitive Absolute + Finite Verb

The flagship use of the infinitive absolute: it stands immediately before a finite verb of the same root, intensifying the action.

Hebrew	Literal	Translation
שָׁמוֹר תִּשְׁמֹר	"guarding you-shall-guard"	you shall surely guard
מוֹת תָּמוּת	"dying you-shall-die"	you shall surely die
בָּרֵךְ אֲבָרֶכְךָ	"blessing I-will-bless-you"	I will surely bless you (Gen 22:17)
יָדֹעַ תֵּדַע	"knowing you-shall-know"	you shall certainly know

💡 Tip — translate with "surely" or "certainly" Whenever you see an infinitive absolute immediately followed by a finite form of the same verb, render it in English with "surely," "certainly," or "indeed." This emphatic construction signals a solemn promise, oath, or threat. It is the Hebrew equivalent of italicizing the verb.

Genesis 2:17 — מוֹת תָּמוּת

The single most famous instance of the emphatic infinitive absolute. God's warning to Adam.

כִּי בְּיוֹם אֲכָלְךָ מִמֶּנּוּ מוֹת תָּמוּת

— ki beyom akhalkha mimmennu mot tamut —

"For in the day you eat from it, you shall surely die." (Gen 2:17) Two infinitives here — both worth pausing over:

אֲכָלְךָ — the infinitive construct of אָכַל ("to eat") with the 2ms suffix and prefixed by בְּ + יוֹם ("in the day of your eating"). Classic temporal infinitive construct.
מוֹת תָּמוּת — the infinitive absolute of מוּת ("to die") followed by the 2ms imperfect of the same root. Classic emphatic construction. "You shall surely die."

One short verse, both infinitives. The rhetorical effect: when you eat (temporal inf cstr), death is certain (emphatic inf abs). The grammar carries the theological weight.

Other Uses of the Infinitive Absolute

Imperative Substitute

The infinitive absolute can stand in for an imperative — usually for solemn or programmatic commands. The Decalogue uses this construction.

שָׁמוֹר אֶת־יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ

— shamor et-yom hashabbat leqaddesho —

"Keep the sabbath day to make it holy." (Deut 5:12) The opening word שָׁמוֹר is an infinitive absolute, not a finite verb — yet it functions as a command. (The Exodus 20:8 parallel uses זָכוֹר, "remember," also infinitive absolute.) The form lends a stately, oracular weight to the command.

Adverbial Complement

The infinitive absolute can follow a finite verb as an adverbial modifier — describing the manner of the action.

הָלֹךְ וְשׁוֹב

— halokh weshov —

"Going and returning" — i.e., "to and fro." Two infinitive absolutes paired as an adverbial expression, common in narrative descriptions of repeated or continuous action.

Side-by-Side Comparison

The two infinitives compared on every dimension that matters.

Feature	Infinitive Construct	Infinitive Absolute
Form (root שׁמר)	שְׁמֹר	שָׁמוֹר
First vowel	vocal shewa	qamatz
Second vowel	holem (no vav)	holem-vav
Takes prepositions?	yes — לְ, בְּ, כְּ, מִן	no
Takes suffixes?	yes (subject or object)	no
Slots in construct chains?	yes (verbal noun)	no
Used for emphasis?	no	yes — before finite verb of same root
Imperative substitute?	no	yes (Decalogue, oracles)
Frequency in OT	very common (thousands)	moderate (~900 emphatic uses)

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1 — confusing inf cstr with the imperative

Reading bare שְׁמֹר as an infinitive

Reading bare שְׁמֹר as the 2ms imperative

The Qal infinitive construct and the Qal 2ms imperative are identical in form. They are distinguished by syntactic context: an infinitive construct almost always has a preposition prefix (לִשְׁמֹר) or a suffix (שָׁמְרִי); a bare שְׁמֹר standing at the head of a clause is an imperative.

Mistake 2 — translating inf abs literally

מוֹת תָּמוּת = "to die you will die"

מוֹת תָּמוּת = "you shall surely die"

The emphatic infinitive absolute is not a separate verbal action; it intensifies the finite verb that follows. Always translate with "surely," "certainly," or "indeed."

Mistake 3 — taking the suffix as the object

שָׁמְרִי = "guard me"

שָׁמְרִי = "my guarding" / "(when) I guard"

When the infinitive construct takes a pronominal suffix, the suffix is normally the subject of the verbal action (whose guarding?), not the object. The object, if expressed, appears separately, often with אֶת.

Daily Drill Plan

Day	Focus	Goal
1	Read this lesson. Write both infinitive forms for four roots (שׁמר, כתב, מלך, קטל).	Form recognition
2	Drill the infinitive construct with לְ, בְּ, כְּ — write all three for each root.	Preposition + inf cstr
3	Drill the inf cstr with 1cs, 2ms, 3ms suffixes — six forms per root.	Suffix + inf cstr
4	Drill the emphatic construction (inf abs + finite verb) for each root.	Emphatic recognition
5	Read aloud Gen 2:17 and Deut 5:12. Parse every infinitive in both verses.	Verses in context

Read These Aloud

Identify the infinitive in each phrase, name its form (cstr or abs), and translate.

לִשְׁמֹר אֶת־דֶּרֶךְ עֵץ הַחַיִּים

— lishmor et-derekh etz hachayyim —

"To guard the way to the tree of life." (Gen 3:24) Infinitive construct שְׁמֹר with לְ = purpose. The cherubim's mission, stated in a single infinitive phrase.

לֵאמֹר

— le'mor —

"Saying." The most common infinitive construct in the Hebrew Bible. Introduces direct speech. Built from אָמַר + לְ.

לָבוֹא הָעִיר

— lavo ha'ir —

"To come to the city." The infinitive construct of the irregular hollow root בּוֹא: בּוֹא + לְ → לָבוֹא. Note the qamatz under the lamed (long, because absorbing the elided alef of לְבוֹא).

לָשֶׁבֶת בְּבֵית־יְהוָה

— lashevet beveit-YHWH —

"To dwell in the house of YHWH." (Ps 27:4) The infinitive construct of יָשַׁב ("to sit, dwell") is the irregular שֶׁבֶת; with לְ it becomes לָשֶׁבֶת. (First-yod verbs commonly form their infinitive construct on a feminine pattern with תּ.)

לְהוֹדִיעַ בִּבְנֵי הָאָדָם

— lehodia bivnei ha'adam —

"To make known among the sons of man." (Ps 145:12) The infinitive construct הוֹדִיעַ (Hifil stem — you'll meet that stem in later lessons) with לְ. The pattern is the same as in Qal: לְ + inf cstr = purpose/complement.

מוֹת יוּמָת

— mot yumat —

"He shall surely be put to death." Infinitive absolute מוֹת + Hofal imperfect יוּמָת (from the same root מות). The emphatic construction works across stems — the inf abs intensifies whatever stem the finite verb takes. The legal formula in Exod 21 and Lev 20.

Theological Note · The Weight of "Surely"

מוֹת תָּמוּת

mot tamut — "you shall surely die"

When God speaks to Adam in Genesis 2:17 with the emphatic infinitive absolute, the grammar does theological work. Death is not a probability, not a consequence-among-others — it is certain. The same construction appears at Sinai (מוֹת יוּמָת, "he shall surely be put to death," Exod 21), in the prophets (שָׁמוֹע תִּשְׁמְעוּ, "you shall surely hear," Isa 6:9), and in the patriarchal promises (בָּרֵךְ אֲבָרֶכְךָ, "I will surely bless you," Gen 22:17). Hebrew grammar gives God a way to underline a verb. The emphatic infinitive absolute is that underline. When you see it, slow down — the writer is being deliberate.

Next up Lesson 21 covers the Qal Active and Passive Participles — שֹׁמֵר ("one who guards") and שָׁמוּר ("one who is guarded"). These are verbal adjectives — hybrid forms that can name an actor, describe an ongoing state, or function as a present-tense verb. With imperatives, infinitives, and participles complete, your Qal toolkit will be finished.