וַאֲנִ֤י אָמַ֨רְתִּי֙ לְרִ֣יק יָגַ֔עְתִּי לְתֹ֥הוּ וְהֶ֖בֶל כֹּחִ֣י כִלֵּ֑יתִי אָכֵן֙ מִשְׁפָּטִ֣י אֶת־יְהוָ֔ה וּפְעֻלָּתִ֖י אֶת־אֱלֹהָֽי׃
But I said, “In vain I have labored, for emptiness and futility I have spent my strength; surely my judgment is with YHWH, and my recompense is with my God.”
Morphology
- וַאֲנִ֤י (va-ʾani) – Root: —; Form: Conjunction + independent pronoun 1st person singular; Translation: “But I”; Notes: Marks a shift to personal reflection of the speaker.
- אָמַ֨רְתִּי (amarti) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I said”; Notes: Marks the speaker’s past inner conclusion or lament.
- לְרִיק (le-riq) – Root: ריק; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “for nothing” or “in vain”; Notes: Describes fruitless effort.
- יָגַ֔עְתִּי (yagaʿti) – Root: יגע; Form: Qal perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I have labored”; Notes: Conveys physical or emotional toil.
- לְתֹהוּ (le-tohu) – Root: תהו; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “for emptiness”; Notes: Suggests chaos, void, or futility.
- וְהֶבֶל (ve-hevel) – Root: הבל; Form: Conjunction + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and futility”; Notes: Often denotes transient or meaningless effort.
- כֹּחִי (koḥi) – Root: כח; Form: Noun masculine singular + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “my strength”; Notes: Refers to personal energy or capacity.
- כִלֵּיתִי (killeiti) – Root: כלה; Form: Piel perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I have spent” or “exhausted”; Notes: Intensive form emphasizes total depletion.
- אָכֵן (aken) – Root: —; Form: Adverb; Translation: “surely” or “indeed”; Notes: Introduces a contrasting affirmation.
- מִשְׁפָּטִי (mishpati) – Root: שפט; Form: Noun masculine singular + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “my judgment”; Notes: Can refer to vindication, cause, or legal case.
- אֶת־יְהוָה (et-YHWH) – Root: —; Form: Direct object marker + divine name; Translation: “is with YHWH”; Notes: Indicates that ultimate justice lies with YHWH.
- וּפְעֻלָּתִי (u-feʿullati) – Root: פעל; Form: Noun feminine singular + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “and my recompense” or “work”; Notes: Refers to reward or result of labor.
- אֶת־אֱלֹהָי (et-ʾElohai) – Root: אלה; Form: Direct object marker + noun with 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “is with my God”; Notes: Expresses personal trust in divine justice and reward.