וְלֹ֣א אָמְר֔וּ אַיֵּ֣ה יְהוָ֔ה הַמַּעֲלֶ֥ה אֹתָ֖נוּ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם הַמֹּולִ֨יךְ אֹתָ֜נוּ בַּמִּדְבָּ֗ר בְּאֶ֨רֶץ עֲרָבָ֤ה וְשׁוּחָה֙ בְּאֶ֨רֶץ֙ צִיָּ֣ה וְצַלְמָ֔וֶת בְּאֶ֗רֶץ לֹֽא־עָ֤בַר בָּהּ֙ אִ֔ישׁ וְלֹֽא־יָשַׁ֥ב אָדָ֖ם שָֽׁם׃
And they did not say, ‘Where is YHWH, who brought us up from the land of Mitsrayim, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of desert and pit, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land through which no man passed and no human dwelt?’
Morphology
- וְלֹ֣א (ve-lo) – Root: לא; Form: Conjunction + negative particle; Translation: “And not”; Notes: Introduces a negated past action.
- אָמְר֔וּ (amru) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they said”; Notes: Refers to what the people failed to say.
- אַיֵּ֣ה (ayyé) – Root: אי; Form: Interrogative particle; Translation: “Where is?”; Notes: Indicates absence or loss.
- יְהוָ֔ה (YHWH) – Root: Proper noun; Form: Tetragrammaton; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: Personal name of Israel’s God.
- הַמַּעֲלֶ֥ה (hammaʿăleh) – Root: עלה; Form: Hiphil participle masculine singular with article; Translation: “who brings up” / “who brought up”; Notes: Refers to past salvific action of YHWH.
- אֹתָ֖נוּ (otanu) – Root: את; Form: Direct object marker with 1st person plural suffix; Translation: “us”; Notes: The object of the verb “brought up.”
- מֵאֶ֣רֶץ (me-ʾerets) – Root: ארץ; Form: Preposition + noun feminine singular construct; Translation: “from the land of”; Notes: Indicates source or origin.
- מִצְרָ֑יִם (Mitsrayim) – Root: Proper noun; Form: Dual form; Translation: “Mitsrayim (Egypt)”; Notes: Traditional name for Egypt.
- הַמֹּולִ֨יךְ (ham-molikh) – Root: הלך; Form: Hiphil participle masculine singular with article; Translation: “who leads” / “who led”; Notes: Describes continuous or habitual past action.
- אֹתָ֜נוּ (otanu) – Root: את; Form: Direct object marker + 1st person plural suffix; Translation: “us”; Notes: Repeated for emphasis.
- בַּמִּדְבָּ֗ר (ba-midbar) – Root: מדבר; Form: Preposition + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “in the wilderness”; Notes: Typical symbol of testing and transformation.
- בְּאֶ֨רֶץ (be-ʾerets) – Root: ארץ; Form: Preposition + noun feminine singular; Translation: “in a land”; Notes: Starts a poetic chain of descriptions.
- עֲרָבָ֤ה (ʿaravah) – Root: ערב; Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “desert plain”; Notes: Often a desolate, arid area.
- וְשׁוּחָה֙ (ve-shuḥah) – Root: שוח; Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “pit” or “abyss”; Notes: Refers to danger or depth.
- בְּאֶ֨רֶץ֙ (be-ʾerets) – Root: ארץ; Form: Preposition + noun feminine singular; Translation: “in a land”; Notes: Repeats to highlight harshness.
- צִיָּ֣ה (tsiyyah) – Root: ציה; Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “dryness”; Notes: Stresses lack of water.
- וְצַלְמָ֔וֶת (ve-tsalmawet) – Root: צלם + מות; Form: Compound noun masculine singular; Translation: “shadow of death” or “deep darkness”; Notes: A vivid image of mortal peril or spiritual gloom.
- בְּאֶ֗רֶץ (be-ʾerets) – Root: ארץ; Form: Preposition + noun feminine singular; Translation: “in a land”; Notes: Third repetition for rhythmic intensity.
- לֹֽא־עָ֤בַר (lo-ʿavar) – Root: עבר; Form: Negative particle + Qal perfect 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “no [man] passed”; Notes: Expresses total abandonment.
- בָּהּ֙ (bah) – Root: ב; Form: Preposition + feminine singular suffix; Translation: “in it”; Notes: Refers to the wilderness land.
- אִ֔ישׁ (ʾish) – Root: איש; Form: Noun masculine singular absolute; Translation: “man”; Notes: Emphasizes human absence.
- וְלֹֽא־יָשַׁ֥ב (ve-lo-yashav) – Root: ישׁב; Form: Conjunction + negative + Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and no [man] dwelt”; Notes: Continues the theme of lifelessness.
- אָדָ֖ם (adam) – Root: אדם; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “human being”; Notes: Generic for mankind.
- שָֽׁם (sham) – Root: שם; Form: Adverb of place; Translation: “there”; Notes: Concludes with emphasis on wilderness desolation.