הַזְּבָחִ֨ים וּמִנְחָ֜ה הִֽגַּשְׁתֶּם־לִ֧י בַמִּדְבָּ֛ר אַרְבָּעִ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה בֵּ֥ית יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
“Did you bring near to Me sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Yisraʾel?
Morphology
- הַזְּבָחִים (ha-zevaḥim) – Root: זבח (zavaḥ); Form: Definite noun masculine plural; Translation: “the sacrifices”; Notes: Refers to animal offerings presented in worship; YHWH questions their true devotion during the wilderness period.
- וּמִנְחָה (u-minḥah) – Root: מנח (minḥah); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun feminine singular; Translation: “and grain offering”; Notes: Denotes cereal or gift offerings; paired with sacrifices as a complete act of worship.
- הִגַּשְׁתֶּם (higgash’tem) – Root: נגשׁ (nagaš); Form: Hifil perfect 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “you brought near”; Notes: Common sacrificial verb meaning to present or offer before YHWH.
- לִי (li) – Root: ל (lamed); Form: Preposition לְ + suffix 1st person common singular; Translation: “to Me”; Notes: Indicates the direction of worship toward YHWH as the intended recipient.
- בַּמִּדְבָּר (ba-midbar) – Root: מדבר (midbar); Form: Preposition בְּ + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “in the wilderness”; Notes: Refers to the forty-year period of wandering after the Exodus from Mitsrayim.
- אַרְבָּעִים (arbaʿim) – Root: ארבע (arbaʿ); Form: Numeral; Translation: “forty”; Notes: Symbolic of testing and completeness; marks the duration of Yisraʾel’s sojourn in the wilderness.
- שָׁנָה (shanah) – Root: שנה (shanah); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “year”; Notes: Combined with “forty” to denote the entire period of wandering.
- בֵּית (beit) – Root: בית (bayit); Form: Noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “house of”; Notes: Used in construct to refer collectively to a family, tribe, or nation.
- יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisraʾel) – Root: ישראל (Yisraʾel); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yisraʾel”; Notes: Refers to the covenant people addressed by YHWH; the rhetorical question highlights their misplaced worship.