הֲיִרְצֶ֤ה יְהוָה֙ בְּאַלְפֵ֣י אֵילִ֔ים בְּרִֽבְבֹ֖ות נַֽחֲלֵי־שָׁ֑מֶן הַאֶתֵּ֤ן בְּכֹורִי֙ פִּשְׁעִ֔י פְּרִ֥י בִטְנִ֖י חַטַּ֥את נַפְשִֽׁי׃
Will YHWH be pleased with thousands of rams, with tens of thousands of streams of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my womb for the sin of my soul?
Morphology
- הֲיִרְצֶה (ha-yirtseh) — Root: רצה (ratsah); Form: Interrogative הֲ + Qal imperfect 3ms; Translation: “Will He be pleased”; Notes: Introduces a rhetorical question about acceptable worship.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) — Root: הוה (havah); Form: Proper divine name; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The subject of the verb “be pleased.”
- בְּאַלְפֵי (be’alfei) — Root: אלף (’elef); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “with thousands of”; Notes: Highlights extravagant offerings.
- אֵילִים (’elim) — Root: איל (ayil); Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “rams”; Notes: A costly sacrificial animal.
- בְּרִבְבֹות (be-rivvot) — Root: רבבה (revavah); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun feminine plural; Translation: “with tens of thousands of”; Notes: Escalates the hyperbolic imagery.
- נַחֲלֵי (naḥalei) — Root: נחל (naḥal); Form: Noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “streams of”; Notes: Used poetically for large quantities.
- שָׁמֶן (shemen) — Root: שׁמן (shemen); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “oil”; Notes: Symbol of abundance and costly worship.
- הַאֶתֵּן (ha-’etten) — Root: נתן (natan); Form: Interrogative הֲ + Qal imperfect 1cs; Translation: “Shall I give”; Notes: Introduces a second rhetorical question.
- בְּכֹורִי (be-khori) — Root: בכר (bakhar); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine singular construct + suffix 1cs; Translation: “my firstborn”; Notes: The most extreme offering imaginable.
- פִּשְׁעִי (pishʿi) — Root: פשע (pashaʿ); Form: Noun masculine singular + suffix 1cs; Translation: “my transgression”; Notes: Refers to willful covenant breach.
- פְּרִי (peri) — Root: פרה (parah); Form: Noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “the fruit of”; Notes: Refers to offspring.
- בִטְנִי (bitni) — Root: בטן (beten); Form: Noun feminine singular + suffix 1cs; Translation: “my womb”; Notes: Parallel to “firstborn.”
- חַטַּאת (ḥatta’t) — Root: חטא (ḥata’); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “the sin”; Notes: Introduces an explanation for the extreme offering proposed.
- נַפְשִׁי (nafshi) — Root: נפשׁ (nefesh); Form: Noun feminine singular + suffix 1cs; Translation: “my soul”; Notes: Personal, total identity implicated in guilt.