לֵאמֹ֗ר מָתַ֞י יַעֲבֹ֤ר הַחֹ֨דֶשׁ֙ וְנַשְׁבִּ֣ירָה שֶּׁ֔בֶר וְהַשַּׁבָּ֖ת וְנִפְתְּחָה־בָּ֑ר לְהַקְטִ֤ין אֵיפָה֙ וּלְהַגְדִּ֣יל שֶׁ֔קֶל וּלְעַוֵּ֖ת מֹאזְנֵ֥י מִרְמָֽה׃
saying, “When will the new moon be past, that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath, that we may open the storehouse, to make the efa small and the sheqel great, and to falsify deceitful balances?
Morphology
- לֵאמֹר (leʾemor) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Preposition לְ + infinitive construct; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Introduces the direct speech of the greedy merchants.
- מָתַי (matay) – Root: מתי (matay); Form: Interrogative adverb; Translation: “When”; Notes: Expresses impatience for the end of sacred observances.
- יַעֲבֹר (yaʿavor) – Root: עבר (ʿavar); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “will pass”; Notes: Refers to the completion or passing of time—specifically, the new moon observance.
- הַחֹדֶשׁ (ha-ḥodesh) – Root: חדשׁ (ḥadash); Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the new moon”; Notes: Denotes the festival of the new month, during which trade was restricted.
- וְנַשְׁבִּירָה (ve-nashbirah) – Root: שׁבר (shavar); Form: Conjunction וְ + Hifil cohortative 1st person plural; Translation: “and we may sell”; Notes: Expresses the merchants’ eager intent to resume selling grain.
- שֶּׁבֶר (shever) – Root: שׁבר (shever); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “grain”; Notes: Refers to food or cereal goods for sale, echoing famine or trade themes.
- וְהַשַּׁבָּת (ve-ha-shabbat) – Root: שׁבת (shavat); Form: Conjunction וְ + definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “and the Sabbath”; Notes: Refers to the holy day when commerce was prohibited.
- וְנִפְתְּחָה (ve-niftechah) – Root: פתח (pataḥ); Form: Conjunction וְ + Nifal cohortative 1st person plural; Translation: “and we may open”; Notes: Passive-reflexive sense—opening the storehouse or marketplace once the Sabbath ends.
- בָּר (bar) – Root: בר (bar); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “grain”; Notes: Refers to purified grain or produce, parallel to “shever.”
- לְהַקְטִין (le-haqtin) – Root: קטן (qatan); Form: Preposition לְ + Hifil infinitive construct; Translation: “to make small”; Notes: Indicates deceitful reduction of measure in trade.
- אֵיפָה (ʾeifah) – Root: איפה (ʾeifah); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “ephah”; Notes: A unit of dry measure; here manipulated dishonestly for profit.
- וּלְהַגְדִּיל (u-le-hagdil) – Root: גדל (gadal); Form: Conjunction וְ + Preposition לְ + Hifil infinitive construct; Translation: “and to make great”; Notes: Contrasts with “to make small,” indicating deceitful inflation of price or weight.
- שֶׁקֶל (sheqel) – Root: שקל (shaqal); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “sheqel”; Notes: Standard unit of currency or weight, here increased dishonestly.
- וּלְעַוֵּת (u-leʿavet) – Root: עוה (ʿavah); Form: Conjunction וְ + Preposition לְ + Piel infinitive construct; Translation: “and to falsify”; Notes: Conveys intentional distortion or corruption of justice and measurement.
- מֹאזְנֵי (moznei) – Root: אזן (ʾazen); Form: Noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “balances of”; Notes: Refers to weighing instruments used for trade, forming construct with “deceit.”
- מִרְמָה (mirmah) – Root: רמה (ramah); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “deceit”; Notes: Characterizes the moral corruption of dishonest merchants exploiting the poor.