אִם־֭אֶרְעַב לֹא־אֹ֣מַר לָ֑ךְ כִּי־לִ֥י תֵ֝בֵ֗ל וּמְלֹאָֽהּ׃
If I should hunger, I would not say to you, for to Me is the world and its fullness.
| # | Hebrew | Transliteration | Literal Gloss | Morph Tag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | אִם | ʾim | “if” | Conj |
| 2 | אֶרְעַב | ʾerʿav | “I should hunger” | Qal imperfect 1cs |
| 3 | לֹא | loʾ | “not” | Neg. particle |
| 4 | אֹמַר | ʾomar | “I would say” | Qal imperfect 1cs |
| 5 | לָךְ | lakh | “to you” | Prep לְ + suff 2ms |
| 6 | כִּי | ki | “for” | Conj |
| 7 | לִי | li | “to Me” | Prep לְ + suff 1cs |
| 8 | תֵבֵל | tevel | “world” | N(fs) |
| 9 | וּמְלֹאָהּ | u-meloʾah | “and its fullness” | Conj וּ + N(fs) + suff 3fs |
Morphology
- אִם (ʾim) – Root: אם (ʾim); Root Type: Particle (Strong); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “if”; Notes: Introduces a hypothetical condition. This verse (Psalm 50:12) is the “reductio ad absurdum” of the ritualistic mindset. God uses a hypothetical human need—hunger—to expose the insignificance of the people’s “gifts.”
- אֶרְעַב (ʾerʿav) – Root: רעב (r-ʿ-b); Root Type: II-Guttural (ע); Binyan: Qal; Form: Imperfect 1st person common singular; Translation: “I should hunger”; Notes: Expresses a hypothetical state of need. The verb אֶרְעַב is a simple future (imperfect). By translating it as “should hunger,” it captures the hypothetical nature of the statement. The irony is that the God who “neither slumbers nor sleeps” entertains the idea of a physical craving merely to show how little the people could do to satisfy it.
- לֹא (loʾ) – Root: לא (loʾ); Root Type: Particle (Strong); Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates the following verb.
- אֹמַר (ʾomar) – Root: אמר (ʾ-m-r); Root Type: I-Guttural (א); Binyan: Qal; Form: Imperfect 1st person common singular; Translation: “I would say”; Notes: Expresses speech in the hypothetical condition. This is a very literal and effective rendering. In this context, “saying” implies a request or a demand. God is saying, “I wouldn’t come to you for a favor.” The Logic: Why would the Creator petition the creation for food? It flips the power dynamic of the “covenant-cutters” who thought God needed their smoke.
- לָךְ (lakh) – Root: ל (prep); Root Type: Particle (Strong); Form: Preposition לְ + suffix 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Indicates the addressee.
- כִּי (ki) – Root: כי (ki); Root Type: Particle (Strong); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for”; Notes: Introduces the reason for the statement.
- 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.
- תֵבֵל (tevel) – Root: תבל (t-b-l); Root Type: Strong; Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “world”; Notes: Refers to the inhabited earth. This is a poetic word for the world, often implying the inhabited, fruitful earth.
- וּמְלֹאָהּ (u-meloʾah) – Root: מלא (m-l-ʾ); Root Type: III-Aleph; Form: Conjunction וּ + noun feminine singular + suffix 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “and its fullness”; Notes: Refers to all that fills the world. It refers to everything that “fills up” the world—the plants, the animals, the minerals, and the life-force itself. If God owns the “fullness,” any animal brought to the altar is just a tiny fraction of what He already possesses.
The Theological Punchline
This verse attacks the ancient concept of theurgy—the idea that humans can influence or “feed” the gods through ritual. By saying “to Me is… its fullness,” God declares His total aseity (self‑existence). He is the source of all things, not the consumer of them. By retaining the word “fullness,” it emphasizes that God is not merely the landlord of the earth; He is the owner of the very substance of everything within it.