וְכִי־תֹאמְר֣וּן אֵלַ֔י אֶל־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ בָּטָ֑חְנוּ הֲלֹוא־ה֗וּא אֲשֶׁ֨ר הֵסִ֤יר חִזְקִיָּ֨הוּ֙ אֶת־בָּמֹתָ֣יו וְאֶת־מִזְבְּחֹתָ֔יו וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לִֽיהוּדָה֙ וְלִיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם לִפְנֵי֙ הַמִּזְבֵּ֣חַ הַזֶּ֔ה תִּֽשְׁתַּחֲו֖וּ בִּירוּשָׁלִָֽם׃
And if you say to me, “In YHWH our God we trust,” is He not the one whose high places and altars Ḥizqiyyahu removed, and said to Yehuda and to Yerushalayim, “Before this altar you shall bow down in Yerushalayim”?
Morphology
- וְכִי־תֹאמְר֣וּן (ve-ki-toʾmerun) – Root: אמר; Form: Conjunction + Qal imperfect 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “And if you say”; Notes: Conditional clause introducing potential objection.
- אֵלַ֔י (elai) – Root: אל; Form: Preposition + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Addressed to the Rab-shaqeh.
- אֶל־יְהוָ֥ה (el-YHWH) – Root: אל, יהוה; Form: Preposition + proper noun; Translation: “in YHWH”; Notes: Introduces the object of trust.
- אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ (Eloheinu) – Root: אלה; Form: Construct plural noun + 1st person plural suffix; Translation: “our God”; Notes: Emphasizes covenant identity.
- בָּטָ֑חְנוּ (bataḥnu) – Root: בטח; Form: Qal perfect 1st person plural; Translation: “we trust”; Notes: Claim of national reliance on YHWH.
- הֲלֹוא־ה֗וּא (haloʾ-hu) – Root: לא, הוא; Form: Interrogative + pronoun masculine singular; Translation: “Is He not”; Notes: Rhetorical question challenging the logic of their trust.
- אֲשֶׁ֨ר (asher) – Root: אשר; Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces clause describing YHWH’s worship.
- הֵסִ֤יר (hesir) – Root: סור; Form: Hifil perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “removed”; Notes: Refers to Ḥizqiyyahu’s centralization of worship.
- חִזְקִיָּ֨הוּ֙ (Ḥizqiyyahu) – Root: חזק; Form: Proper noun with 3rd person suffix; Translation: “Ḥizqiyyahu”; Notes: The king of Yehudah who reformed worship.
- אֶת־בָּמֹתָ֣יו (et-bamotav) – Root: במה; Form: Accusative marker + plural noun feminine + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “his high places”; Notes: Often associated with unauthorized worship sites.
- וְאֶת־מִזְבְּחֹתָ֔יו (ve-et-mizbeḥotav) – Root: מזבח; Form: Conjunction + accusative marker + plural noun masculine + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “and his altars”; Notes: Used for offerings, also dismantled in reform.
- וַיֹּ֤אמֶר (va-yomer) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: Refers to Ḥizqiyyahu’s directive.
- לִֽיהוּדָה֙ (li-Yehudah) – Root: יהודה; Form: Preposition + proper noun; Translation: “to Yehudah”; Notes: Southern kingdom being addressed.
- וְלִיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם (ve-li-Yerushalayim) – Root: ירושלים; Form: Conjunction + preposition + proper noun; Translation: “and to Yerushalayim”; Notes: Capital city, site of centralized worship.
- לִפְנֵי֙ (lifnei) – Root: פנה; Form: Preposition + construct form; Translation: “before”; Notes: Indicates the correct location for worship.
- הַמִּזְבֵּ֣חַ (ha-mizbeaḥ) – Root: מזבח; Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the altar”; Notes: Refers to the altar in the Temple.
- הַזֶּ֔ה (ha-zeh) – Root: זה; Form: Demonstrative masculine singular; Translation: “this”; Notes: Deictic reference to the Temple altar.
- תִּֽשְׁתַּחֲו֖וּ (tishtaḥavu) – Root: שׁחה; Form: Hishtaphel imperfect 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “you shall bow down”; Notes: Act of formal worship or prostration.
- בִּירוּשָׁלִָֽם (bi-Yerushalayim) – Root: ירושלים; Form: Preposition + proper noun; Translation: “in Yerushalayim”; Notes: Designated worship location per Ḥizqiyyahu’s reform.