לָמָּה֩ יֹאמְר֨וּ מִצְרַ֜יִם לֵאמֹ֗ר בְּרָעָ֤ה הֹֽוצִיאָם֙ לַהֲרֹ֤ג אֹתָם֙ בֶּֽהָרִ֔ים וּ֨לְכַלֹּתָ֔ם מֵעַ֖ל פְּנֵ֣י הָֽאֲדָמָ֑ה שׁ֚וּב מֵחֲרֹ֣ון אַפֶּ֔ךָ וְהִנָּחֵ֥ם עַל־הָרָעָ֖ה לְעַמֶּֽךָ׃
Why should Mitsrayim say, ‘With evil intent He brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from upon the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce anger and relent concerning the harm to Your people.
Morphology
- לָמָּה֩ (lammah) – Root: למה (l-m-h); Form: Interrogative; Translation: “Why”; Notes: Introduces Moshe’s rhetorical question.
- יֹאמְר֨וּ (yo’meru) – Root: אמר (ʾ-m-r); Form: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, 3mp; Translation: “Should they say”; Notes: Refers to what the Egyptians might claim.
- מִצְרַ֜יִם (Mitsrayim) – Root: מצר (m-ṣ-r); Form: Proper noun, feminine singular; Translation: “Mitsrayim”; Notes: Refers to Egypt.
- לֵאמֹ֗ר (le’mor) – Root: אמר (ʾ-m-r); Form: Preposition + Infinitive Construct; Translation: “Saying”; Notes: Introduces the reported speech of Mitsrayim.
- בְּרָעָ֤ה (bera’ah) – Root: רעע (r-ʿ-ʿ); Form: Preposition + Noun, feminine singular; Translation: “With evil intent”; Notes: Refers to perceived malicious purpose.
- הֹֽוצִיאָם֙ (hotzi’am) – Root: יצא (y-ṣ-ʾ); Form: Verb, Hiphil, Perfect, 3ms + Pronoun, 3mp suffix; Translation: “He brought them out”; Notes: Refers to YHWH’s act of delivering the Israelites.
- לַהֲרֹ֤ג (laharog) – Root: הרג (h-r-g); Form: Preposition + Infinitive Construct; Translation: “To kill”; Notes: Describes the supposed intent of leading the Israelites into the mountains.
- אֹתָם֙ (otam) – Root: את (ʾ-t); Form: Direct object marker + Pronoun, 3mp; Translation: “Them”; Notes: Refers to the Israelites.
- בֶּֽהָרִ֔ים (beharim) – Root: הר (h-r); Form: Preposition + Noun, masculine plural; Translation: “In the mountains”; Notes: Specifies the location of the alleged killing.
- וּ֨לְכַלֹּתָ֔ם (ulekhalotam) – Root: כלה (k-l-h); Form: Conjunction + Preposition + Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct + Pronoun, 3mp suffix; Translation: “And to consume them”; Notes: Refers to their destruction.
- מֵעַ֖ל (me’al) – Root: על (ʿ-l); Form: Preposition; Translation: “From upon”; Notes: Indicates removal from a location.
- פְּנֵ֣י (penei) – Root: פנה (p-n-h); Form: Noun, masculine plural construct; Translation: “The face of”; Notes: Refers to the surface of the earth.
- הָֽאֲדָמָ֑ה (ha’adamah) – Root: אדמה (ʾ-d-m-h); Form: Noun, feminine singular with definite article; Translation: “The earth”; Notes: Indicates the land’s surface.
- שׁ֚וּב (shuv) – Root: שוב (sh-w-b); Form: Verb, Qal, Imperative, 2ms; Translation: “Turn”; Notes: A plea for YHWH to reconsider His anger.
- מֵחֲרֹ֣ון (meḥaron) – Root: חרה (ḥ-r-h); Form: Preposition + Noun, masculine singular construct; Translation: “From the burning of”; Notes: Refers to YHWH’s fierce anger.
- אַפֶּ֔ךָ (appekha) – Root: אף (ʾ-p); Form: Noun, masculine singular construct + Pronoun, 2ms suffix; Translation: “Your anger”; Notes: Describes YHWH’s wrath.
- וְהִנָּחֵ֥ם (vehinnahhem) – Root: נחם (n-ḥ-m); Form: Conjunction + Verb, Niphil, Imperative, 2ms; Translation: “And relent”; Notes: Moshe requests that YHWH reconsider His intended action.
- עַל־ (ʿal) – Root: על (ʿ-l); Form: Preposition; Translation: “Concerning”; Notes: Refers to the harm directed toward the people.
- הָרָעָ֖ה (hara’ah) – Root: רעע (r-ʿ-ʿ); Form: Noun, feminine singular with definite article; Translation: “The harm”; Notes: Refers to the judgment or calamity.
- לְעַמֶּֽךָ׃ (le’ammekha) – Root: עם (ʿ-m); Form: Preposition + Noun, masculine singular construct + Pronoun, 2ms suffix; Translation: “To Your people”; Notes: Refers to Yisra’el as YHWH’s covenant people.