כִּ֥י מִי־אֵ֖ל מִבַּלְעֲדֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה וּמִ֥י צ֖וּר מִֽבַּלְעֲדֵ֥י אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃
For who is God besides YHWH? And who is a rock besides our God?
Morphology
- כִּי (ki) – Root: כי (ki); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “For”; Notes: Introduces a rhetorical question or affirmation.
- מִי (mi) – Root: –; Form: Interrogative pronoun; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces a rhetorical question implying “no one.”
- אֵל (ʾEl) – Root: אל (ʾel); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “God” or “mighty one”; Notes: Used here as a title for divinity.
- מִבַּלְעֲדֵי (mibbalʿadei) – Root: בלע (balaʿ); Form: Preposition compound; Translation: “besides” or “apart from”; Notes: Denotes exclusivity or exception.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) – Root: יהוה (YHWH); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The exclusive God being affirmed.
- וּמִי (u-mi) – Root: –; Form: Conjunction + interrogative pronoun; Translation: “And who”; Notes: Introduces a parallel rhetorical question.
- צוּר (tsur) – Root: צור (tsur); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “rock”; Notes: Metaphor for strength, stability, and protection—often used of YHWH.
- מִבַּלְעֲדֵי (mibbalʿadei) – Root: בלע (balaʿ); Form: Preposition compound (repeated); Translation: “besides”; Notes: Same function as earlier use.
- אֱלֹהֵינוּ (Eloheinu) – Root: אלה (ʾeloah); Form: Noun masculine plural with 1st person plural suffix; Translation: “our God”; Notes: The personal and covenantal deity of Yisraʾel.