וְאָמְרוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י עַמְּךָ֔ לֹ֥א יִתָּכֵ֖ן דֶּ֣רֶךְ אֲדֹנָ֑י וְהֵ֖מָּה דַּרְכָּ֥ם לֹֽא־יִתָּכֵֽן׃
And the sons of your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not right,’ but their own way is not right.
Morphology
- וְאָמְרוּ (veʾamru) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Conjunction וְ + Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “and they said / and they will say”; Notes: Introduces the speech of the people, marking a continued pattern of complaint or accusation against YHWH.
- בְּנֵי (bene) – Root: בן (ben); Form: Noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “sons of”; Notes: Indicates the descendants or members of a collective group, here referring to the people of Yisraʾel.
- עַמְּךָ (ʿammekha) – Root: עם (ʿam); Form: Noun masculine singular + suffix 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “your people”; Notes: Addresses the prophet as belonging to the same nation—underscoring shared identity yet contrasting obedience.
- לֹא (lo) – Root: לא (lo); Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Used to negate the assertion concerning YHWH’s fairness or justice.
- יִתָּכֵן (yittakhen) – Root: כון (kun); Form: Nifal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “is right / is established”; Notes: In the Nifal, conveys the sense of something being firm, proper, or morally correct.
- דֶּרֶךְ (derekh) – Root: דרך (darakh); Form: Noun common masculine singular; Translation: “way / path”; Notes: Common metaphor in Hebrew for conduct, moral course, or divine procedure.
- אֲדֹנָי (ʾAdonai) – Root: אדן (ʾadon); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “the Lord”; Notes: Title of divine sovereignty, referring to YHWH in His role as ruler and judge.
- וְהֵמָּה (ve-hemmah) – Root: —; Form: Conjunction וְ + independent pronoun masculine plural; Translation: “but they / and they”; Notes: Marks contrast between divine justice and human injustice.
- דַּרְכָּם (darkam) – Root: דרך (darakh); Form: Noun masculine singular construct + suffix 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “their way”; Notes: Refers to their manner of life or conduct, juxtaposed with YHWH’s righteous way.
- לֹא־יִתָּכֵן (lo-yittakhen) – Root: כון (kun); Form: Negative particle לֹא + Nifal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “is not right / is not established”; Notes: Emphasizes their moral distortion—their own behavior fails the very standard they claim to judge.