כִּי֩ לֹ֨א הָיָ֜ה כָּל־בֵּ֣ית אָבִ֗י כִּ֤י אִם־אַנְשֵׁי־מָ֨וֶת֙ לַאדֹנִ֣י הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ וַתָּ֨שֶׁת֙ אֶֽת־עַבְדְּךָ֔ בְּאֹכְלֵ֖י שֻׁלְחָנֶ֑ךָ וּמַה־יֶּשׁ־לִ֥י עֹוד֙ צְדָקָ֔ה וְלִזְעֹ֥ק עֹ֖וד אֶל־הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃ פ
For all the house of my father were nothing but men doomed to death before my lord the king, yet you set your servant among those who eat at your table. So what right do I still have for justice, or to cry out any more to the king?”
Morphology
- כִּי (ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “For”; Notes: Introduces a rationale or reason.
- לֹא הָיָה (lo hayah) – Root: היה; Form: Negative + Qal perfect 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “there was not”; Notes: Denies status of his household.
- כָּל־בֵּית אָבִי (kol-beit avi) – Root: בית, אב; Form: Construct noun phrase; Translation: “all the house of my father”; Notes: Refers to his entire ancestral family.
- כִּי אִם (ki im) – Root: כי, אם; Form: Conjunction phrase; Translation: “except”; Notes: Restrictive clause.
- אַנְשֵׁי־מָוֶת (anshei-mavet) – Root: איש, מות; Form: Construct plural masculine; Translation: “men of death”; Notes: Idiom for condemned men.
- לַאדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ (la-adoni ha-melekh) – Root: אדן, מלך; Form: Preposition + noun with suffix + definite noun; Translation: “before my lord the king”; Notes: Expresses subject’s unworthiness.
- וַתָּשֶׁת (vattashet) – Root: שית; Form: Wayyiqtol Qal imperfect 2nd masculine singular; Translation: “yet you set”; Notes: Refers to the king’s gracious action.
- אֶת־עַבְדְּךָ (et-ʿavdekha) – Root: עבד; Form: Object marker + noun with suffix; Translation: “your servant”; Notes: Humble self-reference.
- בְּאֹכְלֵי שֻׁלְחָנֶךָ (be-okhlei shulkhanekha) – Root: אכל, שלחן; Form: Preposition + participle masculine plural construct + noun with suffix; Translation: “among those who eat at your table”; Notes: Sign of royal favor and acceptance.
- וּמַה (u-mah) – Root: מה; Form: Conjunction + interrogative; Translation: “and what”; Notes: Introduces a rhetorical question.
- יֶּשׁ־לִי (yesh-li) – Root: יש; Form: Existential particle + preposition with suffix; Translation: “do I have”; Notes: Denotes possession or claim.
- עֹוד צְדָקָה (ʿod tsedaqah) – Root: עוד, צדק; Form: Adverb + noun feminine singular; Translation: “any more right/justice”; Notes: Expresses lack of further entitlement.
- וְלִזְעֹק (ve-lizʿoq) – Root: זעק; Form: Conjunction + preposition + Qal infinitive construct; Translation: “or to cry out”; Notes: Describes a plea for appeal.
- עֹוד (ʿod) – Root: עוד; Form: Adverb; Translation: “again”; Notes: Repetition of the previous idea.
- אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ (el-ha-melekh) – Root: אל, מלך; Form: Preposition + definite noun; Translation: “to the king”; Notes: Final destination or target of plea.