Delicate nuances differentiating the semantics of similar words

Identifying Root Words: Biblical Hebrew often employs shoresh (root) system, comprising mainly of 3 consonant letters. Word meaning relies heavily on its root. Hence, identifying the root is the first step to differentiate similar words.
Influences of Hebrew Verb Forms (Binyanim): Understanding different binyanim is key as the same root can carry varying meanings when used in different verb forms. For example, ‘lamad’ in Qal form means ‘to learn’, but in Piel, it means ‘to teach’.
Contextual Application: Usage of similar words often relies on the context. For example, the words שָׁנָה (shanah- year) and שֵׁנִי (sheni- second) are derived from the same root שנה (shin-nun-hey), but their application is clarified with context.
Wordplay and Punning: Biblical Hebrew frequently uses wordplays and puns. Understanding this tradition helps in comprehending the nuanced meanings. For instance, the name Isaac, יצחק, is directly related to the verb ‘to laugh’, צחק.

Word Modification with Vowels: Similar sounding words with different vowel patterns often carry different meanings. For example, the words ‘sofer’ (scribe) and ‘sefer’ (book) sound similar but represent distinct ideas.
Vowel Pointing and Word Class: Vowel pointing can alter the word class of a word. The same word with different pointing can be a noun, a verb or an adjective. For example, ‘davar’ can mean ‘word’ (noun), ‘thing’ (noun), ‘lead’ (verb), or ‘honoured’ (adjective) depending on the pointing added to the root letters.
Construct State Nouns (Smichut): Sometimes, changes in the vowel structure are made to indicate relationships between two nouns, an important feature of biblical Hebrew. For instance, ‘Melchizedek’, or ‘Melech (King) + Zedek (Righteousness)’, forms a construct state noun, ‘King of Righteousness’.

Exclusive Time Indications: Some verbs have exclusive forms indicating the time of action, for instance, ‘perfect’ (past), ‘imperfect’ (future), and ‘participle’ (present).
Gender Importance: Many words in Hebrew have masculine and feminine forms, signifying the gender of the noun. For instance, student can be ‘talmid’ (masculine) or ‘talmidah’ (feminine).
Active Vs Passive Voice: Active and passive voice can change semantics. For example, Qal is active voice (‘he killed’), while Niphal is the passive voice (‘he was killed’).
Nuances via word order: Biblical Hebrew has a flexible word order. The variance often brings about nuanced distinctions in focus or emphasis, thereby influencing the semantics.

Subtle Changes with Prepositions: Hebrew prepositions may be affixed to a noun, subtly changing the noun’s meaning. For instance, ‘bahayim’ means ‘in life’, while ‘chayim’ by itself means ‘life’.