וְעַתָּה֙ הָלֹ֣ךְ הָלַ֔כְתָּ כִּֽי־נִכְסֹ֥ף נִכְסַ֖פְתָּה לְבֵ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ לָ֥מָּה גָנַ֖בְתָּ אֶת־אֱלֹהָֽי׃
And now you have surely gone because you longed greatly for your father’s house, but why have you stolen my gods?”
Morphology
- וְעַתָּה֙ (ve-ʿattah) – Root: עתה (ʿattah); Form: Adverb; Translation: “And now”; Notes: Indicates a transition to a new statement.
- הָלֹ֣ךְ (halokh) – Root: הלך (halakh); Form: Infinitive absolute; Translation: “Surely gone”; Notes: Emphasizes the action of leaving.
- הָלַ֔כְתָּ (halakhta) – Root: הלך (halakh); Form: Perfect 2nd person masculine singular, Qal; Translation: “you have gone”; Notes: Indicates completed action.
- כִּֽי־נִכְסֹ֥ף (ki-nikhsof) – Root: כסף (kasaf); Form: Infinitive absolute with conjunction, Nifal; Translation: “because you longed”; Notes: Reinforces the depth of desire.
- נִכְסַ֖פְתָּה (niksafta) – Root: כסף (kasaf); Form: Perfect 2nd person masculine singular, Nifal; Translation: “you longed”; Notes: Parallelism with the infinitive absolute.
- לְבֵ֣ית (le-veit) – Root: בית (bayit); Form: Noun, masculine singular construct with preposition; Translation: “for the house of”; Notes: Refers to Yaʿaqov’s familial home.
- אָבִ֑יךָ (avikha) – Root: אב (av); Form: Noun, masculine singular construct with 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “your father”; Notes: Refers to Yitsḥaq.
- לָ֥מָּה (lammah) – Root: מה (mah); Form: Interrogative; Translation: “Why”; Notes: Introduces the rhetorical question.
- גָנַ֖בְתָּ (ganavta) – Root: גנב (ganav); Form: Perfect 2nd person masculine singular, Qal; Translation: “you have stolen”; Notes: Accuses Yaʿaqov of theft.
- אֶת־אֱלֹהָֽי׃ (et-Elohai) – Root: אלוהים (Elohim); Form: Noun, masculine plural construct with 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “my gods”; Notes: Refers to Lavan’s household idols.