בֶּן־שְׁמֹנִ֣ים שָׁנָה֩ אָנֹכִ֨י הַיֹּ֜ום הַאֵדַ֣ע בֵּין־טֹ֣וב לְרָ֗ע אִם־יִטְעַ֤ם עַבְדְּךָ֙ אֶת־אֲשֶׁ֤ר אֹכַל֙ וְאֶת־אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶשְׁתֶּ֔ה אִם־אֶשְׁמַ֣ע עֹ֔וד בְּקֹ֖ול שָׁרִ֣ים וְשָׁרֹ֑ות וְלָמָּה֩ יִֽהְיֶ֨ה עַבְדְּךָ֥ עֹוד֙ לְמַשָּׂ֔א אֶל־אֲדֹנִ֖י הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃
I am today eighty years old—can I discern between good and evil? Can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink? Can I still hear the voice of singers, both male and female? And why should your servant still be a burden to my lord the king?
Morphology
- בֶּן־שְׁמֹנִים שָׁנָה (ben-shemonim shanah) – Root: בן, שמן, שנה; Form: Construct phrase; Translation: “eighty years old”; Notes: Hebrew idiom for expressing age.
- אָנֹכִי (anokhi) – Root: אנכי; Form: Independent pronoun, 1st person singular; Translation: “I”; Notes: Emphatic form for “I”.
- הַיֹּום (ha-yom) – Root: יום; Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “today”; Notes: Temporal marker.
- הַאֵדַע (ha-eidaʿ) – Root: ידע; Form: Interrogative with Qal imperfect 1st person singular; Translation: “can I discern”; Notes: Indicates question of ability.
- בֵּין־טֹוב לְרָע (bein-tov le-raʿ) – Root: טוב, רע; Form: Preposition + masculine singular adjectives; Translation: “between good and evil”; Notes: Moral or sensory discernment.
- אִם־יִטְעַם (im-yitʿam) – Root: טעם; Form: Conditional particle + Qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “can [he] taste”; Notes: Refers to the servant’s sensory ability.
- עַבְדְּךָ (ʿavdekha) – Root: עבד; Form: Noun masculine singular with 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “your servant”; Notes: Expression of humility.
- אֶת־אֲשֶׁר אֹכַל (et-asher okhal) – Root: אכל; Form: Object marker + relative particle + Qal imperfect 1st person singular; Translation: “what I eat”; Notes: Refers to food intake ability.
- וְאֶת־אֲשֶׁר אֶשְׁתֶּה (ve-et-asher eshteh) – Root: שתה; Form: Conjunction + object marker + relative + Qal imperfect 1st person singular; Translation: “or what I drink”; Notes: Parallel to food reference.
- אִם־אֶשְׁמַע (im-eshmaʿ) – Root: שמע; Form: Conditional particle + Qal imperfect 1st person singular; Translation: “can I still hear”; Notes: Expresses doubt about sensory ability.
- עֹוד (ʿod) – Root: עוד; Form: Adverb; Translation: “still”; Notes: Indicates continuation.
- בְּקֹול שָׁרִים וְשָׁרֹות (be-qol sharim ve-sharot) – Root: קול, שר; Form: Preposition + noun + masculine plural and feminine plural participles; Translation: “the voice of singers, male and female”; Notes: Denotes entertainment or joy.
- וְלָמָּה (ve-lamah) – Root: מה; Form: Interrogative particle with conjunction; Translation: “And why”; Notes: Introduces rhetorical question.
- יִהְיֶה (yihyeh) – Root: היה; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “should be”; Notes: Future possibility.
- עַבְדְּךָ (ʿavdekha) – Root: עבד; Form: Noun with suffix; Translation: “your servant”; Notes: Repetition emphasizes humility.
- עֹוד (ʿod) – Root: עוד; Form: Adverb; Translation: “still”; Notes: Indicates continuation.
- לְמַשָּׂא (le-massa) – Root: נשא; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “a burden”; Notes: Refers to being a burden or expense.
- אֶל־אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ (el-adoni ha-melekh) – Root: אדן, מלך; Form: Preposition + construct + definite noun; Translation: “to my lord the king”; Notes: Honorific title expressing loyalty and deference.