אֵינֶ֨נּוּ גָדֹ֜ול בַּבַּ֣יִת הַזֶּה֮ מִמֶּנִּי֒ וְלֹֽא־חָשַׂ֤ךְ מִמֶּ֨נִּי֙ מְא֔וּמָה כִּ֥י אִם־אֹותָ֖ךְ בַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר אַתְּ־אִשְׁתֹּ֑ו וְאֵ֨יךְ אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֜ה הָרָעָ֤ה הַגְּדֹלָה֙ הַזֹּ֔את וְחָטָ֖אתִי לֵֽאלֹהִֽים׃
There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has not withheld from me anything except you, because you are his wife. And how could I do this great evil and sin against God?”
| # | Hebrew | Transliteration | Literal Gloss | Morph Tag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | אֵינֶנּוּ | ʾeinennu | “he is not” | Neg. existential + suff 3ms |
| 2 | גָדֹול | gadol | “greater” | Adj(ms) |
| 3 | בַּבַּיִת | ba-bayit | “in the house” | Prep בְּ + Def. art. הַ + N(ms) |
| 4 | הַזֶּה | ha-zeh | “this” | Def. art. הַ + dem. pron. ms |
| 5 | מִמֶּנִּי | mimmenni | “than me” | Prep מִן + suff 1cs |
| 6 | וְלֹא | ve-lo | “and not” | Conj וְ + neg. particle |
| 7 | חָשַׂךְ | ḥasakh | “he withheld” | Qal perfect 3ms |
| 8 | מִמֶּנִּי | mimmenni | “from me” | Prep מִן + suff 1cs |
| 9 | מְאוּמָה | meʾumah | “anything” | Indefinite noun fs |
| 10 | כִּי | ki | “except” | Particle |
| 11 | אִם | ʾim | “if” | Conditional particle |
| 12 | אֹותָךְ | ʾotakh | “you” | DOM + suff 2fs |
| 13 | בַּאֲשֶׁר | ba-ʾasher | “because” | Prep בְּ + relative particle |
| 14 | אַתְּ | ʾat | “you” | Pronoun 2fs |
| 15 | אִשְׁתֹּו | ʾishto | “his wife” | N(fs) + suff 3ms |
| 16 | וְאֵיךְ | ve-ʾeikh | “and how” | Conj וְ + interrogative adverb |
| 17 | אֶעֱשֶׂה | ʾeʿeseh | “could I do” | Qal imperfect 1cs |
| 18 | הָרָעָה | ha-raʿah | “the evil” | Def. art. הַ + N(fs) |
| 19 | הַגְּדֹלָה | ha-gedolah | “the great” | Def. art. הַ + Adj(fs) |
| 20 | הַזֹּאת | ha-zot | “this” | Def. art. הַ + dem. pron. fs |
| 21 | וְחָטָאתִי | ve-ḥataʾti | “and I would sin” | Conj וְ + Qal perfect 1cs |
| 22 | לֵאלֹהִים | le-Elohim | “against God” | Prep לְ + N(mp) |
Morphology
- אֵינֶנּוּ (ʾeinennu) – Root: אין (ʾeyn); Root Type: Particle; Form: Negative existential particle + suffix 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “He is not”; Notes: Denies the presence of anyone greater than Yosef within the sphere of the house’s administration.
- גָדֹול (gadol) – Root: גדל (g-d-l); Root Type: Strong; Form: Adjective masculine singular; Translation: “greater”; Notes: Used comparatively, indicating rank, authority, or status.
- בַּבַּיִת (ba-bayit) – Root: בית (bayit); Root Type: III-Yod; Form: Preposition בְּ + definite article הַ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “in the house”; Notes: Refers to Potiphar’s household and estate, the domain entrusted to Yosef.
- הַזֶּה (ha-zeh) – Root: זה (zeh); Root Type: III-He; Form: Definite article הַ + demonstrative pronoun masculine singular; Translation: “this”; Notes: Specifies the particular house in which Yosef has been entrusted with authority.
- מִמֶּנִּי (mimmenni) – Root: מן (min); Root Type: Particle; Form: Preposition מִן + suffix 1st person common singular; Translation: “than I”; Notes: Functions comparatively after גָדֹול, expressing Yosef’s rank within the household.
- וְלֹא (ve-lo) – Root: לא (lo); Root Type: Particle; Form: Conjunction וְ + negative particle; Translation: “and not”; Notes: Continues Yosef’s argument by emphasizing what has not been withheld from him.
- חָשַׂךְ (ḥasakh) – Root: חשׂך (ḥ-s-kh); Root Type: III-Guttural; Binyan: Qal; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “he withheld”; Notes: Describes the master’s refusal to keep back or restrict anything from Yosef, apart from the stated exception.
- מִמֶּנִּי (mimmenni) – Root: מן (min); Root Type: Particle; Form: Preposition מִן + suffix 1st person common singular; Translation: “from me”; Notes: Marks Yosef as the one from whom nothing was withheld.
- מְאוּמָה (meʾumah) – Root: אום (ʾ-w-m); Root Type: I-Guttural / Hollow; Form: Indefinite noun feminine singular; Translation: “anything”; Notes: With the preceding negation, it conveys “nothing at all.”
- כִּי (ki) – Root: כי (ki); Root Type: Particle; Form: Particle introducing exception in the idiom כִּי אִם; Translation: “except”; Notes: Begins the idiomatic exception formula כִּי אִם, narrowing the restriction to one case.
- אִם (ʾim) – Root: אם (ʾim); Root Type: Particle; Form: Conditional particle functioning idiomatically with כִּי; Translation: “if”; Notes: In combination with כִּי, it contributes to the idiomatic sense “except.”
- אֹותָךְ (ʾotakh) – Root: את (ʾet); Root Type: Particle; Form: Direct object marker + suffix 2nd person feminine singular; Translation: “you”; Notes: Identifies Potiphar’s wife as the one person excluded from Yosef’s authority.
- בַּאֲשֶׁר (ba-ʾasher) – Root: אשר (ʾ-sh-r); Root Type: I-Guttural; Form: Preposition בְּ + relative particle; Translation: “because”; Notes: Introduces the reason for the exception, explaining why Yosef cannot approach her.
- אַתְּ (ʾat) – Root: את (ʾat); Root Type: Pronoun; Form: Independent personal pronoun 2nd person feminine singular; Translation: “you”; Notes: Emphatically addresses Potiphar’s wife as the subject of the following nominal clause.
- אִשְׁתֹּו (ʾishto) – Root: אשה (ʾishah); Root Type: III-He; Form: Noun feminine singular + suffix 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “his wife”; Notes: Grounds Yosef’s refusal in her marital relationship to his master.
- וְאֵיךְ (ve-ʾeikh) – Root: איך (ʾeikh); Root Type: Particle; Form: Conjunction וְ + interrogative adverb; Translation: “And how”; Notes: Introduces a rhetorical question expressing moral impossibility.
- אֶעֱשֶׂה (ʾeʿeseh) – Root: עשׂה (ʿasah); Root Type: III-He; Binyan: Qal; Form: Qal imperfect 1st person common singular; Translation: “could I do”; Notes: The imperfect form presents the contemplated act as potential, rejected by the rhetorical question.
- הָרָעָה (ha-raʿah) – Root: רעע (r-ʿ-ʿ); Root Type: II-Guttural / Geminate; Form: Definite article הַ + noun feminine singular; Translation: “the evil”; Notes: Refers to the proposed act as moral wickedness.
- הַגְּדֹלָה (ha-gedolah) – Root: גדל (g-d-l); Root Type: Strong; Form: Definite article הַ + adjective feminine singular; Translation: “the great”; Notes: Intensifies the seriousness of the evil under consideration.
- הַזֹּאת (ha-zot) – Root: זה (zeh); Root Type: III-He; Form: Definite article הַ + demonstrative pronoun feminine singular; Translation: “this”; Notes: Points specifically to the act being proposed by Potiphar’s wife.
- וְחָטָאתִי (ve-ḥataʾti) – Root: חטא (ḥ-t-ʾ); Root Type: III-Guttural; Binyan: Qal; Form: Conjunction וְ + Qal perfect 1st person common singular; Translation: “and I would sin”; Notes: In the rhetorical sequence, the perfect expresses the consequence that would follow if the act were done.
- לֵאלֹהִים (le-Elohim) – Root: אלה (ʾ-l-h); Root Type: I-Guttural; Form: Preposition לְ + noun masculine plural; Translation: “against God”; Notes: Frames the offense as sin against Fod, not merely betrayal of a human master.