1 Samuel 18:18

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר דָּוִ֜ד אֶל־שָׁא֗וּל מִ֤י אָֽנֹכִי֙ וּמִ֣י חַיַּ֔י מִשְׁפַּ֥חַת אָבִ֖י בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כִּֽי־אֶהְיֶ֥ה חָתָ֖ן לַמֶּֽלֶךְ

And Dawid said to Shaʾul, “Who am I, and what is my life, or my father’s family in Yisraʾel, that I should be the king’s son-in-law?”

Morphology

1. וַיֹּ֨אמֶר (va-yóʾmer) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (consecutive imperfect) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And he said”; Notes: Introduces direct speech.
2. דָּוִ֜ד (Dawíd) – Root: דוד (Dawid); Form: Proper noun, masculine singular; Translation: “Dawid”; Notes: Subject of the verb.
3. אֶל־שָׁא֗וּל (ʾel-Shaʾul) – Root: שאל (shaʾal); Form: Proper noun, masculine singular with preposition; Translation: “to Shaʾul”; Notes: Indicates the recipient of speech.
4. מִ֤י (mi) – Root: מי (mi); Form: Interrogative pronoun; Translation: “Who”; Notes: Used to introduce a rhetorical question.
5. אָֽנֹכִי֙ (ʾanokhí) – Root: אנכי (ʾanokhi); Form: Pronoun, 1st person singular; Translation: “am I”; Notes: Emphasizes Dawid’s humility.
6. וּמִ֣י (u-mi) – Root: מי (mi); Form: Interrogative pronoun with conjunction; Translation: “and what”; Notes: Continues the rhetorical question.
7. חַיַּ֔י (ḥayyái) – Root: חיה (ḥayah); Form: Noun, masculine plural with 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “my life”; Notes: Refers to Dawid’s personal worth.
8. מִשְׁפַּ֥חַת (mishpaḥát) – Root: משפחה (mishpaḥah); Form: Noun, feminine singular construct; Translation: “family of”; Notes: Construct form linking it to “my father.”
9. אָבִ֖י (ʾaví) – Root: אב (ʾav); Form: Noun, masculine singular with 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “my father”; Notes: Refers to Dawid’s paternal household.
10. בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל (be-Yisraʾel) – Root: ישראל (Yisraʾel); Form: Proper noun, masculine singular with preposition; Translation: “in Yisraʾel”; Notes: Locative phrase indicating status.
11. כִּֽי־ (ki) – Root: כי (ki); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “that”; Notes: Introduces the reasoning.
12. אֶהְיֶ֥ה (ʾehyeh) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Qal imperfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I should be”; Notes: Expresses potential future state.
13. חָתָ֖ן (ḥatán) – Root: חתן (ḥatan); Form: Noun, masculine singular; Translation: “son-in-law”; Notes: Indicates marital status.
14. לַמֶּֽלֶךְ (la-mélekh) – Root: מלך (melek); Form: Noun, masculine singular, definite with preposition; Translation: “to the king”; Notes: Indicates Dawid’s disbelief in his worthiness for such a position.