תִּמְכֹּֽר־עַמְּךָ֥ בְלֹא־הֹ֑ון וְלֹ֥א־֝רִבִּ֗יתָ בִּמְחִירֵיהֶֽם׃
You sell Your people without wealth, and You did not increase by their price.
| # | Hebrew | Transliteration | Literal Gloss | Morph Tag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | תִּמְכֹּר־ | timkor | “You sell” | Qal imperfect 2ms |
| 2 | עַמְּךָ | ʿamkha | “Your people” | N(ms) + suff 2ms |
| 3 | בְלֹא־ | be-lo | “without” | Prep בְ + neg |
| 4 | הֹון | hon | “wealth” | N(ms) |
| 5 | וְלֹא־ | ve-lo | “and not” | Conj וְ + neg |
| 6 | רִבִּיתָ | ribbita | “You increased” | Piel perfect 2ms |
| 7 | בִּמְחִירֵיהֶם | bi-meḥirehem | “by their price” | Prep בְ + N(mp) + suff 3mp |
Morphology
- תִּמְכֹּר־ (timkor) – Root: מכר (m-kh-r); Root Type: Strong; Binyan: Qal; Form: Imperfect 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “You sell”; Notes: Expresses ongoing or repeated action of handing over the people as if for sale.
- עַמְּךָ (ʿamkha) – Root: עם (ʿ-m); Root Type: II-Guttural (ע); Form: Noun masculine singular + suffix 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “Your people”; Notes: Refers to the covenant community belonging to God.
- בְלֹא־ (be-lo) – Root: —; Root Type: Particle (Strong); Form: Preposition בְ + negative particle; Translation: “without”; Notes: Indicates absence of compensation or value.
- הֹון (hon) – Root: הון (h-w-n); Root Type: I-Guttural (ה) / Hollow; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “wealth”; Notes: Refers to material gain or profit. The Hebrew בְלֹא־הֹ֑ון: (b’lo-hon) literally means “without wealth” or “for no-capital.” In English, “selling without wealth” sounds like the seller lacks wealth. In the context of Psalm 44:13, the point is that God is selling His people for nothing, as if they have no value. “For a pittance,” “for nothing,” or “for no price” captures the idea that the “Sale of Israel” didn’t even bring in a good return.
- וְלֹא־ (ve-lo) – Root: —; Root Type: Particle (Strong); Form: Conjunction וְ + negative particle; Translation: “and not”; Notes: Reinforces negation in parallel structure.
- רִבִּיתָ (ribbita) – Root: רבה (r-b-h); Root Type: III-He; Binyan: Piel; Form: Perfect 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “You increased”; Notes: Indicates gaining profit or benefit, here explicitly denied.
- בִּמְחִירֵיהֶם (bi-meḥirehem) – Root: מכר (m-kh-r) / מחיר (meḥir); Root Type: Strong; Form: Preposition בְ + noun masculine plural + suffix 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “by their price”; Notes: Refers to the value or price assigned to the people, which yields no gain. In English, “increase by their price” is grammatically awkward. We usually increase a stock or a population, but we “gain” or “profit” from a price. Most scholars translate this as “You did not set their price high” or “You gained no profit from their sale.” It emphasizes that God didn’t even drive a hard bargain; He just let them go cheaply. The plural m’chireihem (their prices/values) suggests that not only was the total low, but each individual was sold for a negligible amount. Using “their price” (singular) in English is standard, but “valuation” is a strong alternative.