וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה הִנְּךָ֥ שֹׁכֵ֖ב עִם־אֲבֹתֶ֑יךָ וְקָם֩ הָעָ֨ם הַזֶּ֜ה וְזָנָ֣ה אַחֲרֵ֣י אֱלֹהֵ֣י נֵֽכַר־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר ה֤וּא בָא־שָׁ֨מָּה֙ בְּקִרְבֹּ֔ו וַעֲזָבַ֕נִי וְהֵפֵר֙ אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר כָּרַ֖תִּי אִתֹּֽו׃
And YHWH said to Moshe, “Behold, you are lying down with your fathers, and this people will rise and prostitute themselves after the foreign gods of the land where they are going among them. They will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them.”
Morphology
- וַיֹּ֤אמֶר (vayyomer) – Root: אמר (ʾ-m-r); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (consecutive imperfect) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And said”; Notes: Common biblical form for narrative action.
- יְהוָה֙ (YHWH) – Root: The Tetragrammaton; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The covenant name of the Elohim of Yisra’el.
- אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה (el-Moshe) – Root: מֹשֶׁה (Mōšeh); Form: Preposition + proper noun; Translation: “to Moshe”; Notes: Direct address from YHWH to Moshe.
- הִנְּךָ֥ (hinnekha) – Root: הנה (h-n-h); Form: Interjection + 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “Behold, you”; Notes: Used to draw attention to an important statement.
- שֹׁכֵ֖ב (shokhev) – Root: שׁכב (š-k-v); Form: Qal participle masculine singular; Translation: “lying down”; Notes: Refers to death, implying resting with ancestors.
- עִם־אֲבֹתֶ֑יךָ (im-avotekha) – Root: אב (ʾ-v); Form: Preposition + masculine plural noun with 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “with your fathers”; Notes: Euphemism for dying and being buried with ancestors.
- וְקָם֩ (veqam) – Root: קום (q-w-m); Form: Qal perfect consecutive 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and will rise”; Notes: Signals the future actions of the people after Moshe’s death.
- הָעָ֨ם הַזֶּ֜ה (ha’am hazzeh) – Root: עם (ʿ-m); Form: Definite article + masculine singular noun + demonstrative pronoun; Translation: “this people”; Notes: Refers to Yisra’el.
- וְזָנָ֣ה (vezanah) – Root: זנה (z-n-h); Form: Qal perfect consecutive 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and will prostitute themselves”; Notes: Metaphor for idolatry and spiritual unfaithfulness.
- אַחֲרֵ֣י אֱלֹהֵ֣י נֵֽכַר־הָאָ֗רֶץ (akharei elohai nekar-ha’aretz) – Root: אחר (ʾ-ḥ-r), אל (ʾ-l), נכר (n-k-r), ארץ (ʾ-r-ṣ); Form: Preposition + masculine plural noun construct + adjective + definite article + feminine singular noun; Translation: “after the foreign gods of the land”; Notes: Describes the apostasy of following foreign deities.
- אֲשֶׁ֨ר ה֤וּא בָא־שָׁ֨מָּה֙ בְּקִרְבֹּ֔ו (asher hu va-shammah bekirbo) – Root: אשׁר (ʾ-š-r), בוא (b-w-ʾ), שׁם (š-m), קרב (q-r-v); Form: Relative pronoun + masculine singular pronoun + Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular + adverb + preposition + masculine singular noun; Translation: “which they are going among them”; Notes: Refers to the nations they will encounter in the Promised Land.
- וַעֲזָבַ֕נִי (va’azavani) – Root: עזב (ʿ-z-v); Form: Qal perfect consecutive 3rd person masculine singular + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “and they will forsake Me”; Notes: Indicates the breaking of covenant loyalty.
- וְהֵפֵר֙ (vehefer) – Root: פרר (p-r-r); Form: Hiphil perfect consecutive 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and will break”; Notes: The Hiphil stem conveys causation, emphasizing deliberate covenant violation.
- אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֔י (et-beriti) – Root: ברית (b-r-y-t); Form: Direct object marker + feminine singular noun with 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “My covenant”; Notes: Refers to the covenant made at Sinai.
- אֲשֶׁ֥ר כָּרַ֖תִּי אִתֹּֽו (asher karatti itto) – Root: כרה (k-r-h); Form: Relative pronoun + Qal perfect 1st person singular + preposition + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “which I have made with them”; Notes: Highlights the binding agreement between YHWH and Yisra’el.