וַיַּ֨עַן לָבָ֜ן וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֶֽל־יַעֲקֹ֗ב הַבָּנֹ֨ות בְּנֹתַ֜י וְהַבָּנִ֤ים בָּנַי֙ וְהַצֹּ֣אן צֹאנִ֔י וְכֹ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּ֥ה רֹאֶ֖ה לִי־ה֑וּא וְלִבְנֹתַ֞י מָֽה־אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֤ה לָאֵ֨לֶּה֙ הַיֹּ֔ום אֹ֥ו לִבְנֵיהֶ֖ן אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָלָֽדוּ׃
And Lavan answered and said to Yaʿaqov, “The daughters are my daughters, and the sons are my sons, and the flock is my flock, and all that you see is mine. But for my daughters, what shall I do for these today, or for their children whom they have borne?
Morphology
- וַיַּ֨עַן (vayyaʿan) – Root: ענה (ʿ-n-h); Form: Wayyiqtol (vav-consecutive imperfect) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And he answered”; Notes: Indicates a response to Yaʿaqov.
- לָבָ֜ן (Lavan) – Root: לבן (l-b-n); Form: Proper noun, masculine singular; Translation: “Lavan”; Notes: Name of Yaʿaqov’s father-in-law.
- וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (vayyomer) – Root: אמר (ʾ-m-r); Form: Wayyiqtol (vav-consecutive imperfect) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And he said”; Notes: Introduces direct speech.
- אֶֽל־יַעֲקֹ֗ב (el-Yaʿaqov) – Root: יעקב (y-ʿ-q-b); Form: Preposition + proper noun; Translation: “to Yaʿaqov”; Notes: Marks the recipient of Lavan’s speech.
- הַבָּנֹ֨ות (habbanot) – Root: בן (b-n); Form: Noun, feminine plural, definite; Translation: “The daughters”; Notes: Refers to Lavan’s daughters.
- בְּנֹתַ֜י (benotai) – Root: בן (b-n); Form: Noun, feminine plural with 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “my daughters”; Notes: Possessive form indicating Lavan’s claim.
- וְהַבָּנִ֤ים (vehabbanim) – Root: בן (b-n); Form: Noun, masculine plural, definite; Translation: “And the sons”; Notes: Parallel structure to the previous phrase.
- בָּנַי֙ (banai) – Root: בן (b-n); Form: Noun, masculine plural with 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “my sons”; Notes: Another possessive assertion by Lavan.
- וְהַצֹּ֣אן (vehatzon) – Root: צאן (ṣ-ʾ-n); Form: Noun, collective, definite; Translation: “And the flock”; Notes: Refers to Yaʿaqov’s livestock.
- צֹאנִ֔י (tzoni) – Root: צאן (ṣ-ʾ-n); Form: Noun, singular collective with 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “my flock”; Notes: Lavan claims ownership.
- וְכֹ֛ל (vekol) – Root: כל (k-l); Form: Noun, masculine singular, absolute; Translation: “And all”; Notes: Indicates totality.
- אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּ֥ה רֹאֶ֖ה (asher attah ro’eh) – Root: ראה (r-ʾ-h); Form: Relative pronoun + participle, masculine singular; Translation: “that you see”; Notes: Describes what is being referred to.
- לִי־ה֑וּא (li-hu) – Root: היה (h-y-h); Form: Prepositional phrase + pronoun; Translation: “it is mine”; Notes: Lavan’s claim over all that Yaʿaqov possesses.
- וְלִבְנֹתַ֞י (velivnotai) – Root: בן (b-n); Form: Noun, feminine plural with 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “And for my daughters”; Notes: Shifts to concern for his daughters.
- מָֽה־אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֤ה (mah-eʿeseh) – Root: עשה (ʿ-s-h); Form: Interrogative + imperfect 1st person singular; Translation: “what shall I do”; Notes: Expresses concern or rhetorical question.
- לָאֵ֨לֶּה֙ (la’eleh) – Root: אלה (ʾ-l-h); Form: Demonstrative pronoun, plural; Translation: “for these”; Notes: Refers to his daughters.
- הַיֹּ֔ום (hayyom) – Root: יום (y-w-m); Form: Noun, masculine singular, definite; Translation: “today”; Notes: Temporal reference.
- אֹ֥ו (o) – Root: או (ʾ-w); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “or”; Notes: Introduces an alternative.
- לִבְנֵיהֶ֖ן (livneihem) – Root: בן (b-n); Form: Noun, masculine plural construct with 3rd person plural suffix; Translation: “for their children”; Notes: Refers to his grandchildren.
- אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָלָֽדוּ (asher yaladu) – Root: ילד (y-l-d); Form: Relative pronoun + perfect 3rd person plural; Translation: “whom they have borne”; Notes: Describes the children of his daughters.