כֹּֽה־אָמַ֨ר יְהוָ֧ה מֶֽלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל וְגֹאֲלֹ֖ו יְהוָ֣ה צְבָאֹ֑ות אֲנִ֤י רִאשֹׁון֙ וַאֲנִ֣י אַחֲרֹ֔ון וּמִבַּלְעָדַ֖י אֵ֥ין אֱלֹהִֽים׃
Thus said YHWH, the King of Yisraʾel and his Redeemer, YHWH of Hosts: “I am the first and I am the last, and apart from Me there is no god.”
Morphology
- כֹּה (koh) – Root: כה; Form: Adverb; Translation: “Thus”; Notes: Introduces a prophetic declaration.
- אָמַר (ʾamar) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “said”; Notes: Indicates completed speech act.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) – Root: הוה; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The divine name of Israel’s God.
- מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל (melekh-Yisraʾel) – Root: מלך; Form: Noun masculine singular construct + proper noun; Translation: “King of Yisraʾel”; Notes: YHWH is here identified as sovereign over His people.
- וְגֹאֲלוֹ (ve-goʾalo) – Root: גאל; Form: Qal participle masculine singular with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “and his Redeemer”; Notes: Refers to YHWH as the one who redeems Yisraʾel.
- יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת (YHWH Tsevaʾot) – Root: צבא; Form: Proper noun + plural construct; Translation: “YHWH of Hosts”; Notes: Title emphasizing YHWH’s command over heavenly armies.
- אֲנִי (ʾani) – Root: אנכי; Form: Independent personal pronoun 1st person singular; Translation: “I”; Notes: Used emphatically in divine self-identification.
- רִאשׁוֹן (riʾshon) – Root: ראשׁ; Form: Adjective masculine singular; Translation: “first”; Notes: Temporal and ontological primacy.
- וַאֲנִי (va-ʾani) – Root: אנכי; Form: Conjunction + pronoun 1st person singular; Translation: “and I”; Notes: Repetition for emphasis in parallel construction.
- אַחֲרוֹן (ʾaḥaron) – Root: אחר; Form: Adjective masculine singular; Translation: “last”; Notes: Stresses YHWH’s eternal sovereignty.
- וּמִבַּלְעָדַי (u-mi-valʿaday) – Root: בלע; Form: Conjunction + preposition מן + noun + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “and apart from Me”; Notes: Exclusive claim to deity.
- אֵין (ʾein) – Root: אין; Form: Negative existential particle; Translation: “there is no”; Notes: Denotes non-existence.
- אֱלֹהִים (ʾElohim) – Root: אלה; Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “god”; Notes: Though plural in form, often used as a singular reference to deity; here denying any rival divine being.