בַּעֲלֹתִ֣י הָהָ֗רָה לָקַ֜חַת לוּחֹ֤ת הָֽאֲבָנִים֙ לוּחֹ֣ת הַבְּרִ֔ית אֲשֶׁר־כָּרַ֥ת יְהוָ֖ה עִמָּכֶ֑ם וָאֵשֵׁ֣ב בָּהָ֗ר אַרְבָּעִ֥ים יֹום֙ וְאַרְבָּעִ֣ים לַ֔יְלָה לֶ֚חֶם לֹ֣א אָכַ֔לְתִּי וּמַ֖יִם לֹ֥א שָׁתִֽיתִי׃
When I went up the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant which YHWH made with you, I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water.
Morphology
- בַּעֲלֹתִ֣י (ba’aloti) – Root: עלה (alah); Form: Qal infinitive construct with 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “When I went up”; Notes: Refers to ascending Mount Sinai.
- הָהָ֗רָה (haharah) – Root: הר (har); Form: Definite article + noun in feminine singular with directive he; Translation: “the mountain”; Notes: The directive he implies movement toward the mountain.
- לָקַ֜חַת (laqachat) – Root: לקח (laqach); Form: Qal infinitive construct; Translation: “to receive”; Notes: Indicates the purpose of going up the mountain.
- לוּחֹ֤ת (luchot) – Root: לוח (luach); Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “tablets”; Notes: Refers to the stone tablets containing the covenant.
- הָֽאֲבָנִים֙ (ha’avanim) – Root: אבן (even); Form: Definite article + noun feminine plural; Translation: “of stone”; Notes: Describes the material of the tablets.
- לוּחֹ֣ת (luchot) – Root: לוח (luach); Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “tablets”; Notes: Repeated for emphasis on the covenant.
- הַבְּרִ֔ית (haberit) – Root: ברית (berit); Form: Definite article + noun feminine singular; Translation: “of the covenant”; Notes: Refers to the agreement between YHWH and Israel.
- אֲשֶׁר־כָּרַ֥ת (asher-karat) – Root: כרת (karat); Form: Relative pronoun + Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “which He made”; Notes: Describes YHWH’s action in establishing the covenant.
- יְהוָ֖ה (YHWH) – Root: Divine Name; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The covenant name of God.
- עִמָּכֶ֑ם (immakhem) – Root: עם (im); Form: Preposition + 2nd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “with you”; Notes: Indicates the parties involved in the covenant.
- וָאֵשֵׁ֣ב (va’eshev) – Root: ישׁב (yashav); Form: Qal imperfect 1st person singular with vav consecutive; Translation: “and I stayed”; Notes: Indicates Moses’s extended stay on the mountain.
- בָּהָ֗ר (bahar) – Root: הר (har); Form: Preposition + definite noun; Translation: “on the mountain”; Notes: Specifies the location of the stay.
- אַרְבָּעִ֥ים יֹום֙ (arba’im yom) – Root: ארבע (arba); Form: Cardinal number + noun masculine singular; Translation: “forty days”; Notes: Describes the duration of Moses’s stay.
- וְאַרְבָּעִ֣ים לַ֔יְלָה (ve’arba’im layla) – Root: ארבע (arba); Form: Conjunction + cardinal number + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and forty nights”; Notes: Parallelism emphasizing the period.
- לֶ֚חֶם לֹ֣א אָכַ֔לְתִּי (lechem lo achalti) – Root: אכל (achal); Form: Noun masculine singular + negative particle + Qal perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I did not eat bread”; Notes: Stresses Moses’s fasting.
- וּמַ֖יִם לֹ֥א שָׁתִֽיתִי׃ (umayim lo shatiti) – Root: שתה (shatah); Form: Conjunction + noun masculine plural + negative particle + Qal perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “and I did not drink water”; Notes: Completes the description of the fast.