הֲלֹ֣וא כִבְנֵי֩ כֻשִׁיִּ֨ים אַתֶּ֥ם לִ֛י בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל נְאֻם־יְהוָ֑ה הֲלֹ֣וא אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל הֶעֱלֵ֨יתִי֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם וּפְלִשְׁתִּיִּ֥ים מִכַּפְתֹּ֖ור וַאֲרָ֥ם מִקִּֽיר׃
“Are you not like the children of the Kushiyyim to Me, O children of Yisraʾel,” declares YHWH? “Did I not bring up Yisraʾel from the land of Mitsrayim, and the Pelishtim from Kaftor, and Aram from Qir?
Morphology
- הֲלֹא (halo) — Root: לא; Form: Interrogative particle + negative particle; Translation: “Are… not?”; Notes: Introduces a rhetorical question expecting affirmation.
- כִבְנֵי (ki-vnei) — Root: בן; Form: Preposition כְּ + noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “like the children of”; Notes: Draws a comparison with another nation.
- כֻשִׁיִּים (kushiim) — Root: כושׁ; Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “the Kushites”; Notes: People from Kush (Nubia/Ethiopia).
- אַתֶּם (atem) — Root: אתם; Form: Independent pronoun masculine plural; Translation: “you”; Notes: Addressed collectively to Yisraʾel.
- לִי (li) — Root: לְ; Form: Preposition לְ + suffix 1st person singular; Translation: “to Me”; Notes: Denotes relationship to YHWH.
- בְּנֵי (bnei) — Root: בן; Form: Noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “children of”; Notes: Introduces national identity.
- יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisraʾel) — Root: שׂרה; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yisraʾel”; Notes: Refers to the covenant people.
- נְאֻם־יְהוָה (neʾum-YHWH) — Root: נאם; Form: Noun masculine singular construct + proper name; Translation: “declares YHWH”; Notes: Divine prophetic speech formula.
- הֲלֹא (halo) — Root: לא; Form: Interrogative particle + negative particle; Translation: “Did I not…?”; Notes: Reinforces the rhetorical rebuke.
- אֶת (et) — Root: — ; Form: Direct object marker; Translation: (untranslated); Notes: Marks the following noun as the object.
- יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisraʾel) — Root: שׂרה; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yisraʾel”; Notes: Object of the verb הֶעֱלֵיתִי.
- הֶעֱלֵיתִי (heʿelitī) — Root: עלה; Form: Hifil perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I brought up”; Notes: Hifil expresses causation—YHWH causing the exodus.
- מֵאֶרֶץ (me-ʾerets) — Root: ארץ; Form: Preposition מִן + noun feminine singular; Translation: “from the land of”; Notes: Refers to the origin point of deliverance.
- מִצְרַיִם (Mitsrayim) — Root: מצר; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Mitsrayim”; Notes: Hebrew name for Egypt.
- וּפְלִשְׁתִּיִּים (u-pelishtiim) — Root: פלשׁ; Form: Conjunction וְ + noun masculine plural; Translation: “and the Pelishtim”; Notes: Refers to the Philistine people.
- מִכַּפְתּוֹר (mi-kaftor) — Root: כפתר; Form: Preposition מִן + proper noun; Translation: “from Kaftor”; Notes: Traditional identification: Crete or Aegean region.
- וַאֲרָם (va-ʾaram) — Root: ארם; Form: Conjunction וְ + proper noun; Translation: “and Aram”; Notes: Refers to the Arameans.
- מִקִּיר (mi-qir) — Root: קיר; Form: Preposition מִן + proper noun; Translation: “from Qir”; Notes: The place of Aram’s origins per prophetic tradition.