כִּ֚י הַֽאֻמְנָ֔ם יֵשֵׁ֥ב אֱלֹהִ֖ים עַל־הָאָ֑רֶץ הִ֠נֵּה הַשָּׁמַ֜יִם וּשְׁמֵ֤י הַשָּׁמַ֨יִם֙ לֹ֣א יְכַלְכְּל֔וּךָ אַ֕ף כִּֽי־הַבַּ֥יִת הַזֶּ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר בָּנִֽיתִי׃
But will God truly dwell on the earth? Behold, the heavens and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You, how much less this house that I have built!
Morphology
- כִּ֚י (ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “For / But / Indeed”; Notes: Introduces rhetorical reflection or contrast.
- הַֽאֻמְנָ֔ם (haʾumnam) – Root: אמן; Form: Interrogative particle + adverb; Translation: “Will truly / Is it really so”; Notes: Emphasizes incredulity in the question.
- יֵשֵׁ֥ב (yeshev) – Root: ישׁב; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “will dwell”; Notes: Refers to continuous or future habitation.
- אֱלֹהִ֖ים (Elohim) – Root: אלהים; Form: Masculine plural noun; Translation: “Elohim / God”; Notes: Subject of the rhetorical question.
- עַל־הָאָ֑רֶץ (ʿal-haʾaretz) – Root: ארץ; Form: Preposition + definite feminine singular noun; Translation: “on the earth”; Notes: Indicates location in contrast to heaven.
- הִנֵּה (hinneh) – Root: הנה; Form: Interjection; Translation: “Behold”; Notes: Draws attention to what follows with emphasis.
- הַשָּׁמַ֜יִם (ha-shamayim) – Root: שׁמים; Form: Definite plural noun; Translation: “the heavens”; Notes: Refers to the sky or heavenly realm.
- וּשְׁמֵ֤י הַשָּׁמַ֨יִם֙ (ushmei ha-shamayim) – Root: שׁם; Form: Conjunction + construct masculine plural noun + definite plural noun; Translation: “and the heaven of heavens”; Notes: Highest heavens, a superlative expression.
- לֹ֣א (lo) – Root: לא; Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates the verb that follows.
- יְכַלְכְּל֔וּךָ (yekhalkelukha) – Root: כול; Form: Piel imperfect 3rd person masculine plural with 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “can contain You”; Notes: Emphasizes divine transcendence; even the heavens cannot contain YHWH.
- אַ֕ף (af) – Root: אף; Form: Adverb; Translation: “even / indeed / how much more”; Notes: Introduces a climactic contrast.
- כִּֽי־הַבַּ֥יִת (ki-habayit) – Root: כי / בית; Form: Conjunction + definite masculine singular noun; Translation: “how much less the house”; Notes: Contrasts the grandeur of heaven with the earthly Temple.
- הַזֶּ֖ה (hazzeh) – Root: זה; Form: Demonstrative pronoun, masculine singular; Translation: “this”; Notes: Modifies “house.”
- אֲשֶׁ֥ר (ʾasher) – Root: אשר; Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces the relative clause.
- בָּנִֽיתִי (baniti) – Root: בנה; Form: Qal perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I have built”; Notes: Refers to Shelomoh’s construction of the Temple.