וָאֹמַ֗ר אֲדֹנָ֤י יְהוִה֙ חֲדַל־נָ֔א מִ֥י יָק֖וּם יַעֲקֹ֑ב כִּ֥י קָטֹ֖ן הֽוּא׃
Then I said, “Lord YHWH, cease, I pray; how shall Yaʿaqov stand, for he is small?”
Morphology
- וָאֹמַר (vaʾomar) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Conjunction וְ + Qal imperfect 1st person common singular (waw-consecutive); Translation: “Then I said”; Notes: Marks Amos’s immediate response of intercession following the vision of judgment by fire.
- אֲדֹנָי (Adonai) – Root: אדן (ʾadon); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Lord”; Notes: Denotes divine authority, often used in contexts emphasizing reverence and subordination.
- יְהוִה (YHWH) – Root: הוה (hvh); Form: Proper noun, divine name; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The covenant name of God, underscoring His mercy and relational faithfulness.
- חֲדַל־נָא (ḥadal-na) – Root: חדל (ḥadal); Form: Qal imperative masculine singular + enclitic particle נָא; Translation: “cease, I pray”; Notes: A plea for YHWH to stop the destructive fire; נָא adds politeness and urgency to the request.
- מִי (mi) – Root: —; Form: Interrogative pronoun; Translation: “who”; Notes: Begins a rhetorical question emphasizing the helplessness of Yisraʾel.
- יָקוּם (yaqum) – Root: קום (qum); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “shall stand”; Notes: Refers to survival or endurance—Amos intercedes that Yisraʾel cannot withstand divine judgment.
- יַעֲקֹב (Yaʿaqov) – Root: עקב (ʿaqav); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yaʿaqov”; Notes: Represents the nation of Yisraʾel, viewed here as weak and defenseless.
- כִּי (ki) – Root: כי (ki); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for”; Notes: Introduces the reason for the plea—Yisraʾel’s fragility and smallness.
- קָטֹן (qaton) – Root: קטן (qatan); Form: Adjective masculine singular; Translation: “small”; Notes: Expresses the weakness or insignificance of Yisraʾel before YHWH’s might.
- הוּא (hu) – Root: —; Form: Independent pronoun masculine singular; Translation: “he”; Notes: Refers back to Yaʿaqov; emphasizes his frailty and inability to withstand divine wrath.