וַיְהִ֤י כַחֹול֙ זַרְעֶ֔ךָ וְצֶאֱצָאֵ֥י מֵעֶ֖יךָ כִּמְעֹתָ֑יו לֹֽא־יִכָּרֵ֧ת וְֽלֹא־יִשָּׁמֵ֛ד שְׁמֹ֖ו מִלְּפָנָֽי׃
And your offspring would have been like the sand, and the children of your inward parts like its grains; his name would not be cut off nor destroyed from before Me.”
Morphology
- וַיְהִי (vayehi) – Root: היה; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And it would have been”; Notes: Marks the result of a hypothetical situation.
- כַחֹול (ka-ḥol) – Root: חול; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “like the sand”; Notes: Common biblical metaphor for vastness or multitude.
- זַרְעֶךָ (zarʿekha) – Root: זרע; Form: Noun masculine singular with 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “your offspring”; Notes: Refers to descendants, lineage, or posterity.
- וְצֶאֱצָאֵי (ve-tseʾetsaʾei) – Root: צאצא; Form: Conjunction + noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “and the children of”; Notes: Refers to one’s physical progeny.
- מֵעֶיךָ (meʿeykha) – Root: מעי; Form: Preposition + noun masculine plural with 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “your inward parts”; Notes: Figuratively refers to the womb or inner being.
- כִּמְעֹתָיו (kimʿotav) – Root: מעט; Form: Preposition + noun masculine plural with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “like its grains”; Notes: Refers back to “sand”—individual units of sand.
- לֹא־יִכָּרֵת (lo-yikkaret) – Root: כרת; Form: Negative particle + Nifal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “would not be cut off”; Notes: Denotes being permanently removed or destroyed.
- וְלֹא־יִשָּׁמֵד (ve-lo-yishamed) – Root: שׁמד; Form: Conjunction + negative particle + Nifal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “nor would he be destroyed”; Notes: Reinforces divine protection from annihilation.
- שְׁמוֹ (shemu) – Root: שם; Form: Noun masculine singular with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “his name”; Notes: Represents identity, memory, or lineage.
- מִלְּפָנָי (mil-lefanai) – Root: לפנים; Form: Preposition + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “from before Me”; Notes: Expresses the presence of YHWH as witness or protector.