וַיַּמְרוּ־בִ֨י בֵֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל בַּמִּדְבָּ֗ר בְּחֻקֹּותַ֨י לֹא־הָלָ֜כוּ וְאֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַ֣י מָאָ֗סוּ אֲשֶׁר֩ יַעֲשֶׂ֨ה אֹתָ֤ם הָֽאָדָם֙ וָחַ֣י בָּהֶ֔ם וְאֶת־שַׁבְּתֹתַ֖י חִלְּל֣וּ מְאֹ֑ד וָאֹמַ֞ר לִשְׁפֹּ֨ךְ חֲמָתִ֧י עֲלֵיהֶ֛ם בַּמִּדְבָּ֖ר לְכַלֹּותָֽם׃
But the house of Yisraʾel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. In My statutes they did not walk, and My judgments they despised, which if a man does them, he shall live in them. And My Sabbaths they profaned greatly. Then I said to pour out My fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.
Morphology
- וַיַּמְרוּ־בִי – Root: מָרָה; Form: Hifil wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural + preposition בְּ + first cs suffix; Translation: “But they rebelled against me”; Notes: Expresses deliberate disobedience.
- בֵית־יִשְׂרָאֵל – Root: בַּיִת, יִשְׂרָאֵל; Form: Construct chain: noun masculine singular + proper noun; Translation: “house of Yisraʾel”; Notes: Refers collectively to the people of Israel.
- בַּמִּדְבָּר – Root: מִדְבָּר; Form: Preposition בְּ + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “in the wilderness”; Notes: Geographic setting of disobedience.
- בְּחֻקֹּותַי – Root: חֹק; Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine plural + 1cs suffix; Translation: “in my statutes”; Notes: Refers to divine decrees.
- לֹא – Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates their walking in statutes.
- הָלָכוּ – Root: הָלַךְ; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they walked”; Notes: Negated: “they did not walk.”
- וְאֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַי – Root: מִשְׁפָּט; Form: Conjunction + object marker + noun masculine plural + 1cs suffix; Translation: “and my judgments”; Notes: Divine legal rulings.
- מָאָסוּ – Root: מָאַס; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they despised”; Notes: Rejection with contempt.
- אֲשֶׁר – Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces conditional statement.
- יַעֲשֶׂה – Root: עָשָׂה; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “a man does”; Notes: Expresses hypothetical action.
- אֹותָם – Form: Object pronoun 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to statutes and judgments.
- הָאָדָם – Root: אָדָם; Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the man”; Notes: General reference to humanity.
- וָחַי – Root: חָיָה; Form: Qal perfect with vav-consecutive 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “then he shall live”; Notes: Consequence of obedience.
- בָּהֶם – Form: Preposition בְּ + third person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “in them”; Notes: Refers to life found in God’s laws.
- וְאֶת־שַׁבְּתֹתַי – Root: שַׁבָּת; Form: Conjunction + object marker + noun feminine plural + 1cs suffix; Translation: “and my Sabbaths”; Notes: Weekly Sabbaths and possibly festival Sabbaths.
- חִלְּלוּ – Root: חָלַל; Form: Piel perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they profaned”; Notes: Treated as common, desecrated.
- מְאֹד – Form: Adverb; Translation: “greatly”; Notes: Intensifies the act of profaning.
- וָאֹמַר – Root: אָמַר; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 1st person singular; Translation: “Then I said”; Notes: God’s intended action.
- לִשְׁפֹּךְ – Root: שָׁפַךְ; Form: Preposition לְ + Qal infinitive construct; Translation: “to pour out”; Notes: Expresses divine wrath.
- חֲמָתִי – Root: חֵמָה; Form: Noun feminine singular + 1cs suffix; Translation: “my fury”; Notes: Wrath of God against rebellion.
- עֲלֵיהֶם – Root: עַל; Form: Preposition + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “upon them”; Notes: Target of God’s wrath.
- בַּמִּדְבָּר – Root: מִדְבָּר; Form: Preposition בְּ + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “in the wilderness”; Notes: Location of threatened judgment.
- לְכַלֹּותָם – Root: כָּלָה; Form: Preposition לְ + Piel infinitive construct + 3mp suffix; Translation: “to consume them”; Notes: Expresses total annihilation as consequence.