וְעָבַ֣דְתָּ לֹּ֣ו אֶֽת־הָאֲדָמָ֡ה אַתָּה֩ וּבָנֶ֨יךָ וַעֲבָדֶ֜יךָ וְהֵבֵ֗אתָ וְהָיָ֨ה לְבֶן־אֲדֹנֶ֤יךָ לֶּ֨חֶם֙ וַאֲכָלֹ֔ו וּמְפִיבֹ֨שֶׁת֙ בֶּן־אֲדֹנֶ֔יךָ יֹאכַ֥ל תָּמִ֛יד לֶ֖חֶם עַל־שֻׁלְחָנִ֑י וּלְצִיבָ֗א חֲמִשָּׁ֥ה עָשָׂ֛ר בָּנִ֖ים וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים עֲבָדִֽים׃
And you shall work the land for him—you, your sons, and your servants—and you shall bring in, and it shall be for the son of your master as bread, and he shall eat it. But Mefivoshet, son of your master, shall continually eat bread at my table.” And Tsiva had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
Morphology
- וְעָבַדְתָּ (veʿavadta) – Root: עבד; Form: Qal perfect 2nd person masculine singular with conjunction; Translation: “And you shall work”; Notes: Instructional future with past form.
- לֹּו (lo) – Root: לו; Form: Preposition with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “for him”; Notes: Beneficiary of the action.
- אֶת־הָאֲדָמָה (et-ha-adamah) – Root: אדם; Form: Direct object marker + noun feminine singular with article; Translation: “the land”; Notes: Refers to cultivated property.
- אַתָּה (atta) – Root: אתה; Form: Independent pronoun masculine singular; Translation: “you”; Notes: Emphatic subject.
- וּבָנֶיךָ (u-vanekha) – Root: בן; Form: Conjunction + noun masculine plural with 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “and your sons”; Notes: Includes descendants.
- וַעֲבָדֶיךָ (va-ʿavadekha) – Root: עבד; Form: Conjunction + noun masculine plural with 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “and your servants”; Notes: Household workers.
- וְהֵבֵאתָ (ve-hevetta) – Root: בוא; Form: Hiphil perfect 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “and you shall bring in”; Notes: Causative of coming, i.e., yield produce.
- וְהָיָה (ve-hayah) – Root: היה; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and it shall be”; Notes: Introduces result or purpose.
- לְבֶן־אֲדֹנֶיךָ (le-ven-adonekha) – Root: בן, אדן; Form: Preposition + construct noun + 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “to the son of your master”; Notes: Refers to Mefivoshet.
- לֶּחֶם (leḥem) – Root: לחם; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “bread”; Notes: Food or sustenance.
- וַאֲכָלֹו (va-akholo) – Root: אכל; Form: Conjunction + Qal infinitive construct with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “and he shall eat it”; Notes: Indicates result.
- וּמְפִיבֹשֶׁת (u-Mefivoshet) – Root: מפיבשׁת; Form: Conjunction + proper noun; Translation: “and Mefivoshet”; Notes: Named to distinguish his privilege.
- בֶּן־אֲדֹנֶיךָ (ben-adonekha) – Root: בן, אדן; Form: Construct noun + 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “son of your master”; Notes: Emphasizes status and inheritance.
- יֹאכַל (yoʾkhal) – Root: אכל; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “he shall eat”; Notes: Future action.
- תָּמִיד (tamid) – Root: תמיד; Form: Adverb; Translation: “continually”; Notes: Indicates permanence or constancy.
- לֶחֶם (leḥem) – Root: לחם; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “bread”; Notes: Repeated for emphasis.
- עַל־שֻׁלְחָנִי (ʿal-shulḥani) – Root: שלחן; Form: Preposition + noun with 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “at my table”; Notes: Royal provision.
- וּלְצִיבָא (u-le-Tsiva) – Root: ציבא; Form: Conjunction + preposition + proper noun; Translation: “and Tsiva”; Notes: Introduces information about his household.
- חֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר (ḥamishah ʿasar) – Root: חמש, עשר; Form: Cardinal number; Translation: “fifteen”; Notes: Numerical count of sons.
- בָּנִים (banim) – Root: בן; Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Offspring of Tsiva.
- וְעֶשְׂרִים (ve-esrim) – Root: עשרים; Form: Conjunction + cardinal number; Translation: “and twenty”; Notes: Numerical count of servants.
- עֲבָדִים (ʿavadim) – Root: עבד; Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “servants”; Notes: Household workers.