וַתִּקְחִ֞י אֶת־בָּנַ֤יִךְ וְאֶת־בְּנוֹתַ֨יִךְ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יָלַ֣דְתְּ לִ֔י וַתִּזְבָּחִ֥ים לָהֶ֖ם לֶאֱכ֑וֹל הַמְעַ֖ט מִתַּזְנּתִָֽךְ׃
“And you took your sons and your daughters whom you had borne to me, and you sacrificed them to them to be devoured. Was your harlotry a small matter?
Morphology
- וַתִּקְחִי (va-tiqqeḥi) – Root: לקח (laqach); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 2nd person feminine singular; Translation: “and you took”; Notes: Expresses the beginning of a heinous act of idolatry.
- אֶת (et) – Form: Direct object marker; Translation: “—”; Notes: Marks the definite direct object.
- בָּנַיִךְ (banayikh) – Root: בן (ben); Form: Noun masculine plural construct + 2nd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “your sons”; Notes: Denotes children belonging to Jerusalem, personified.
- וְאֶת־בְּנוֹתַיִךְ (ve-et-benotayikh) – Root: בת (bat); Form: Conjunction + direct object marker + noun feminine plural construct + 2nd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “and your daughters”; Notes: Completes the pair, sons and daughters.
- אֲשֶׁר (asher) – Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Introduces subordinate clause.
- יָלַדְתְּ (yalad’t) – Root: ילד (yalad); Form: Qal perfect 2nd person feminine singular; Translation: “you had borne”; Notes: Refers to literal childbirth.
- לִי (li) – Root: ל (le); Form: Preposition + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “to me”; Notes: YHWH emphasizes covenantal belonging of the children.
- וַתִּזְבָּחִים (va-tizbaḥim) – Root: זבח (zavach); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 2nd person feminine singular + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “and you sacrificed them”; Notes: Points to child sacrifice in idolatrous worship.
- לָהֶם (lahem) – Root: ל (le); Form: Preposition + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “to them”; Notes: Refers to the idols.
- לֶאֱכֹל (le’ekhol) – Root: אכל (ʾakal); Form: Qal infinitive construct with preposition; Translation: “to be devoured”; Notes: Indicates purpose of the sacrifice, grisly consumption.
- הֲמְעַט (ha-meʿat) – Root: מעט (maʿat); Form: Interrogative particle + noun masculine singular absolute; Translation: “was it a small thing?”; Notes: Rhetorical question, stressing enormity of sin.
- מִתַּזְנֻתֵךְ (mi-taznutekh) – Root: זנה (zanah); Form: Preposition + noun feminine singular construct + 2nd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “from your harlotry”; Notes: Denotes the excessive nature of spiritual prostitution.