חֱיִי · אֱמַר · לְמִבְעֵא · לְהַחֲוָיָה
ORIGINALBA-016
Biblical Aramaic · Peal and Other Action-Word Patterns
Commands and infinitives
BA-016Biblical AramaicAramaic of Daniel and Ezra
ORIGINAL LANGUAGE FIRST
חֱיִי · אֱמַר · לְמִבְעֵא · לְהַחֲוָיָה
Pedagogical transliterationḥeyi · emar · lemiv'e · lehaḥavayah
Plain meaninglive! · tell! · to seek · to make known
Pointing follows Miqra according to the Masorah (MAM). Cantillation is omitted on the lesson card for visual focus; the underlying evidence retains the complete source reading. Transliterations are pedagogical aids, not replacements for the source.WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT
Commands and infinitives
Daniel 2:4 begins its Aramaic speech with two second-masculine-singular Peal imperatives: חֱיִי and אֱמַר. Infinitives work differently: לְמִבְעֵא is a Peal infinitive, ‘to seek,’ while לְהַחֲוָיָה is a causative infinitive, ‘to make known.’ Initial לְ is a strong infinitive clue here, but the stem still matters.
HEAR THIS LESSONListen to the full public explanation.Teacher narration is separate from original-language pronunciation.
Audio settings
SEE HOW IT WORKS
Keep the form, reading, and meaning together.
ḥeyi · emar · lemiv'e · lehaḥavayah
READINGPedagogical reading guide
live! · tell! · to seek · to make known
MEANINGBiblical Aramaic
חֱיִי / אֱמַר = Peal imperative 2ms · לְ + מִבְעֵא = Peal infinitive · לְ + הַחֲוָיָה = causative/Haphel infinitive
EXAMPLES
Examples supplied by the approved curriculum.
Daniel 2:4 — מַלְכָּא לְעָלְמִין חֱיִי אֱמַר חֶלְמָא — ‘O king, live forever; tell the dream’ · Daniel 2:18 — לְמִבְעֵא ... רַחֲמִין — ‘to seek mercies’ · Daniel 2:16 — לְהַחֲוָיָה לְמַלְכָּא — ‘to make known to the king’
SOURCE REFERENCE
Daniel 2:4; 2:16; 2:18
APPROVED STUDY LAYERS
Source-specific guidance from the curriculum.
Learning objective
Distinguish imperatives from infinitives by morphology and clause function.
Morphology and syntax
OSHB: חֱיִי AVqv2ms; אֱמַר AVqv2ms; לְמִבְעֵא AR/Vqc; לְהַחֲוָיָה AR/Vhc.
Dialect boundary
Biblical Aramaic of Daniel and Ezra. Later Targumic, Jewish Babylonian, and Zoharic forms are not imported into this lesson.
Practice
Sort the four forms into imperative or infinitive, then identify which infinitive is causative.
Answer key
Imperatives: חֱיִי, אֱמַר. Infinitives: לְמִבְעֵא, לְהַחֲוָיָה. The causative infinitive is לְהַחֲוָיָה.
Source notes
Daniel 2:4 is Hebrew through אֲרָמִית; these cited imperative forms occur after the language switch.
REMEMBER