אִם־בֹּֽצְרִים֙ בָּ֣אוּ לָ֔ךְ לֹ֥א יַשְׁאִ֖רוּ עֹֽולֵלֹ֑ות אִם־גַּנָּבִ֥ים בַּלַּ֖יְלָה הִשְׁחִ֥יתוּ דַיָּֽם׃
If grape-gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings? If thieves by night, they destroy only what is enough for them.
Morphology
- אִם־ (ʾim-) – Root: —; Form: Conditional particle with maqaf; Translation: “if”; Notes: Introduces a hypothetical comparison.
- בֹּצְרִים (botserim) – Root: בצר; Form: Qal participle masculine plural; Translation: “grape-gatherers”; Notes: Refers to harvest workers collecting grapes.
- בָּאוּ (baʾu) – Root: בוא; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “came”; Notes: Past action describing arrival.
- לָךְ (lakh) – Root: —; Form: Preposition לְ + second person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Addressed to Edom, personified as feminine.
- לֹא (lo) – Root: —; Form: Negative particle; Translation: “would not”; Notes: Expresses rhetorical expectation.
- יַשְׁאִרוּ (yashʾiru) – Root: שׁאר; Form: Hifil imperfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “leave behind”; Notes: Action of leaving gleanings after harvest.
- עֹולֵלֹות (ʿolelot) – Root: עלל; Form: Noun feminine plural absolute; Translation: “gleanings”; Notes: Refers to grapes left over after harvest, by law or custom.
- אִם־ (ʾim-) – Root: —; Form: Conditional particle with maqaf; Translation: “if”; Notes: Begins second comparison.
- גַּנָּבִים (gannavim) – Root: גנב; Form: Noun masculine plural absolute; Translation: “thieves”; Notes: Criminals used metaphorically for destruction.
- בַּלַּיְלָה (ba-laylah) – Root: לילה; Form: Preposition בְּ + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “by night”; Notes: Time of stealth and robbery.
- הִשְׁחִיתוּ (hishḥitu) – Root: שׁחת; Form: Hifil perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they destroy”; Notes: Indicates violent action, but limited in scope.
- דַיָּם (dayyam) – Root: די; Form: Noun masculine singular absolute + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “what is enough for them”; Notes: Points to thieves taking only what they need, unlike the total ruin decreed for Edom.