כִּי־לִ֥י כָל־חַיְתֹו־יָ֑עַר בְּ֝הֵמֹ֗ות בְּהַרְרֵי־אָֽלֶף׃
For to Me is every beast of the forest, cattle upon a thousand mountains.
| # | Hebrew | Transliteration | Literal Gloss | Morph Tag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | כִּי | ki | “for” | Conj |
| 2 | לִי | li | “to Me” | Prep לְ + suff 1cs |
| 3 | כָל־חַיְתֹו־יָעַר | kol-ḥayto-yaʿar | “every beast of the forest” | N(ms) + N(fs) construct + N(ms) |
| 4 | בְּהֵמֹות | behemot | “cattle” | N(fp) |
| 5 | בְּהַרְרֵי־אָלֶף | be-harrei-ʾalef | “upon a thousand mountains” | Prep בְּ + N(mp) construct + N(ms) |
Morphology
- כִּי (ki) – Root: כי (ki); Root Type: Particle (Strong); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for”; Notes: Introduces explanation or reason. The particle כִּי (For) introduces the logical reason why He doesn’t need their animals.
- לִי (li) – Root: ל (prep); Root Type: Particle (Strong); Form: Preposition לְ + suffix 1st person common singular; Translation: “to Me”; Notes: Indicates possession or belonging. The possession לִי means “to me” or “mine.” By putting “To Me” right at the beginning, the Hebrew emphasizes ownership. It’s as if God is saying, “Before you ever brought a goat to the altar, it already belonged to Me.”
- כָל־חַיְתֹו־יָעַר (kol-ḥayto-yaʿar) – Root: כל (k-l) + חיה (ḥ-y-h) + יער (y-ʿ-r); Root Type: Strong + III-He + I-Guttural (ע); Form: Noun masculine singular + noun feminine singular construct (state: construct) + noun masculine singular; Translation: “every beast of the forest”; Notes: A construct chain expressing totality of wild animals belonging to the forest. The phrase חַיְתֹו־יָעַר refers to wild animals—the ones humans don’t own or control. God is claiming authority over the parts of nature that are “off the grid” for human farmers.
- בְּהֵמֹות (behemot) – Root: בהם (b-h-m); Root Type: Strong; Form: Noun feminine plural; Translation: “cattle”; Notes: Refers to domesticated or large animals. The word “Cattle” (Behemot) is the plural of the same word we saw in Psalm 49:21. While it can mean “beasts” generally, in this context of sacrifice, it specifically refers to domesticated livestock like cows.
- בְּהַרְרֵי־אָלֶף (be-harrei-ʾalef) – Root: הרר (h-r-r) + אלף (ʾ-l-f); Root Type: Geminate + I-Guttural (א); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine plural construct (state: construct) + noun masculine singular; Translation: “upon a thousand mountains”; Notes: Expresses abundance and vast ownership. “A Thousand Mountains” (בְּהַרְרֵי־אָלֶף) — this is a famous Hebrew idiom. It doesn’t mean exactly 1,000, but rather an innumerable amount. If God owns the mountains, He naturally owns everything grazing on them.