כִּי־נֵ֨דֶר֙ נָדַ֣ר עַבְדְּךָ֔ בְּשִׁבְתִּ֥י בִגְשׁ֛וּר בַּאֲרָ֖ם לֵאמֹ֑ר אִם־ישֶׂיב יְשִׁיבֵ֤נִי יְהוָה֙ יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם וְעָבַדְתִּ֖י אֶת־יְהוָֽה׃
For your servant vowed a vow when I lived in Geshur in Aram, saying, ‘If YHWH indeed brings me back to Yerushalayim, then I will serve YHWH.’”
Morphology
- כִּי־ (ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “For”; Notes: Introduces the reason or explanation.
- נֵ֨דֶר (neder) – Root: נדר; Form: Noun, masculine singular; Translation: “a vow”; Notes: Religious or solemn promise.
- נָדַ֣ר (nadar) – Root: נדר; Form: Qal perfect 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “vowed”; Notes: Verb repeating the noun for emphasis.
- עַבְדְּךָ֔ (avdekha) – Root: עבד; Form: Noun + 2nd masculine singular suffix; Translation: “your servant”; Notes: Refers to the speaker (Avshalom).
- בְּשִׁבְתִּ֥י (be-shivti) – Root: ישׁב; Form: Preposition + Qal infinitive construct + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “when I lived”; Notes: Temporal clause.
- בִגְשׁ֛וּר (bi-Geshur) – Root: גשׁור; Form: Preposition + proper noun; Translation: “in Geshur”; Notes: Place in Aram where Avshalom resided.
- בַּאֲרָ֖ם (ba-Aram) – Root: ארם; Form: Preposition + proper noun, masculine singular; Translation: “in Aram”; Notes: Region in the north of Yisraʾel.
- לֵאמֹ֑ר (lemor) – Root: אמר; Form: Infinitive construct; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Introduces the content of the vow.
- אִם־ (im) – Root: אם; Form: Conditional particle; Translation: “if”; Notes: Sets up conditional clause.
- ישֶׂיב (yashev) – Root: שׁוב; Form: Piel imperfect 3rd masculine singular (alternate spelling); Translation: “indeed returns”; Notes: Emphatic use with repetition.
- יְשִׁיבֵ֤נִי (yeshiveini) – Root: שׁוב; Form: Hifil imperfect 3rd masculine singular + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “brings me back”; Notes: Causative—causing to return.
- יְהוָה֙ (YHWH) – Root: יהוה; Form: Proper name; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The divine name of God.
- יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם (Yerushalayim) – Root: ירושלם; Form: Proper noun, feminine singular; Translation: “Yerushalayim”; Notes: City of the king.
- וְעָבַדְתִּ֖י (veʿavadti) – Root: עבד; Form: Qal perfect 1st person singular with vav-consecutive; Translation: “then I will serve”; Notes: Fulfills the vow condition.
- אֶת־יְהוָֽה (et-YHWH) – Root: יהוה; Form: Direct object marker + proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: Object of the verb “serve.”