וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֗ם בֶּן־מֵאָה֩ וְעֶשְׂרִ֨ים שָׁנָ֤ה אָנֹכִי֙ הַיֹּ֔ום לֹא־אוּכַ֥ל עֹ֖וד לָצֵ֣את וְלָבֹ֑וא וַֽיהוָה֙ אָמַ֣ר אֵלַ֔י לֹ֥א תַעֲבֹ֖ר אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֥ן הַזֶּֽה׃
And he said to them, “I am a hundred and twenty years old today; I am no longer able to go out and come in, and YHWH has said to me, ‘You shall not cross this Yarden.’
Morphology
- וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (vayyomer) – Root: אמר (ʾ-m-r); Form: Wayyiqtol (consecutive imperfect) 3rd person masculine singular, Qal stem; Translation: “And he said”; Notes: Common narrative form indicating sequential action.
- אֲלֵהֶ֗ם (alehem) – Root: אל (ʾ-l); Form: Preposition with 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “to them”; Notes: Refers to the people Moshe is addressing.
- בֶּן־מֵאָה֩ וְעֶשְׂרִ֨ים שָׁנָ֤ה (ben-me’ah ve’esrim shanah) – Root: בן (b-n), מא (m-ʾ), עשר (ʿ-s-r), שנה (sh-n-h); Form: Construct form (son of) + numeral for 100 and 20 + feminine singular noun; Translation: “a hundred and twenty years old”; Notes: Indicates Moshe’s age at this point.
- אָנֹכִי֙ (anokhi) – Root: Pronoun; Form: 1st person singular pronoun; Translation: “I”; Notes: A formal self-reference used often in the Torah.
- הַיֹּ֔ום (hayyom) – Root: יום (y-w-m); Form: Definite article + masculine singular noun; Translation: “today”; Notes: Specifies the day of Moshe’s speech.
- לֹא־אוּכַ֥ל (lo-ukhal) – Root: יכל (y-k-l); Form: Negative particle + 1st person masculine singular imperfect, Qal stem; Translation: “I am not able”; Notes: Indicates Moshe’s acknowledgment of his physical limitations.
- עֹ֖וד (ʿod) – Root: Adverb; Form: Adverbial; Translation: “anymore”; Notes: Suggests a cessation of previous ability.
- לָצֵ֣את (latset) – Root: יצא (y-ts-ʾ); Form: Infinitive construct, Qal stem; Translation: “to go out”; Notes: Refers to leadership or physical movement.
- וְלָבֹ֑וא (velavo) – Root: בוא (b-w-ʾ); Form: Infinitive construct, Qal stem; Translation: “and to come in”; Notes: Parallels the previous phrase, forming a merism for leadership activity.
- וַֽיהוָה֙ (vaYHWH) – Root: Proper noun; Form: Conjunctive vav + Tetragrammaton (YHWH); Translation: “and YHWH”; Notes: Refers to the divine speaker, maintaining sacred name conventions.
- אָמַ֣ר (amar) – Root: אמר (ʾ-m-r); Form: Perfect 3rd person masculine singular, Qal stem; Translation: “said”; Notes: Indicates a completed divine instruction.
- אֵלַ֔י (elai) – Root: אל (ʾ-l); Form: Preposition with 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Specifies Moshe as the recipient of YHWH’s message.
- לֹ֥א תַעֲבֹ֖ר (lo taʿavor) – Root: עבר (ʿ-v-r); Form: Negative particle + imperfect 2nd person masculine singular, Qal stem; Translation: “You shall not cross”; Notes: A divine prohibition against Moshe entering the land.
- אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֥ן (et-hayyarden) – Root: Proper noun; Form: Definite direct object marker + proper name with definite article; Translation: “the Yarden”; Notes: Refers to the Jordan River, a significant geographical boundary.
- הַזֶּֽה (hazzeh) – Root: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Masculine singular with definite article; Translation: “this”; Notes: Specifies the immediate, particular river in question.