וְהַשֵּׁנִ֗ית לְמִי֙ אֲנִ֣י אֶֽעֱבֹ֔ד הֲלֹ֖וא לִפְנֵ֣י בְנֹ֑ו כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר עָבַ֨דְתִּי֙ לִפְנֵ֣י אָבִ֔יךָ כֵּ֖ן אֶהְיֶ֥ה לְפָנֶֽיךָ׃ פ
And the second—whom shall I serve? Is it not in the presence of his son? As I have served in the presence of your father, so will I be in your presence.”
Morphology
- וְהַשֵּׁנִ֗ית (ve-ha-shenit) – Root: שני; Form: Conjunction + adjective, feminine singular with article; Translation: “And the second”; Notes: Refers back to the second allegiance or option.
- לְמִי֙ (le-mi) – Root: מי; Form: Preposition + interrogative pronoun; Translation: “to whom”; Notes: Introduces a rhetorical question.
- אֲנִ֣י (ani) – Root: אני; Form: Independent pronoun, 1st person singular; Translation: “I”; Notes: Subject of the verb.
- אֶֽעֱבֹ֔ד (eʿevod) – Root: עבד; Form: Qal imperfect 1st person singular; Translation: “shall serve”; Notes: Continuation of the rhetorical question.
- הֲלֹ֖וא (halo) – Root: לא; Form: Interrogative particle; Translation: “Is it not”; Notes: Asserts the obvious answer.
- לִפְנֵ֣י (lifnei) – Root: פן; Form: Preposition; Translation: “before / in the presence of”; Notes: Spatial or relational preposition.
- בְנֹ֑ו (beno) – Root: בן; Form: Noun, masculine singular + 3rd masculine singular suffix; Translation: “his son”; Notes: Refers to Avshalom as the son of Dawid.
- כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר (ka’asher) – Root: אשר; Form: Preposition + relative pronoun; Translation: “just as”; Notes: Introduces a comparative clause.
- עָבַ֨דְתִּי֙ (avadti) – Root: עבד; Form: Qal perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I served”; Notes: Past reference to service to Dawid.
- לִפְנֵ֣י (lifnei) – Root: פן; Form: Preposition; Translation: “in the presence of”; Notes: Repetition of previous prepositional phrase.
- אָבִ֔יךָ (avikha) – Root: אב; Form: Noun + 2ms suffix; Translation: “your father”; Notes: Refers to Dawid.
- כֵּ֖ן (ken) – Root: כן; Form: Adverb; Translation: “so”; Notes: Correlative with “just as.”
- אֶהְיֶ֥ה (ehyeh) – Root: היה; Form: Qal imperfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I will be”; Notes: Future loyalty declared.
- לְפָנֶֽיךָ (lefanekha) – Root: פן; Form: Preposition + 2ms suffix; Translation: “before you”; Notes: Addressed to Avshalom.