וַיִּשְׁאַ֞ל אֶת־סְרִיסֵ֣י פַרְעֹ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר אִתֹּ֧ו בְמִשְׁמַ֛ר בֵּ֥ית אֲדֹנָ֖יו לֵאמֹ֑ר מַדּ֛וּעַ פְּנֵיכֶ֥ם רָעִ֖ים הַיֹּֽום׃
And he asked the officials of Parʿo who were with him in custody, in the house of his lord, saying, “Why are your faces bad today?”
| # | Hebrew | Transliteration | Literal Gloss | Morph Tag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | וַיִּשְׁאַל | va-yishʾal | “and he asked” | Qal wayyiqtol 3ms |
| 2 | אֶת־סְרִיסֵי | ʾet-serisei | “the officials of” | Direct object marker + N(mp) construct |
| 3 | פַרְעֹה | Parʿoh | “Pharaoh” | Proper noun |
| 4 | אֲשֶׁר | ʾasher | “who” | Relative particle |
| 5 | אִתֹּו | ʾitto | “with him” | Prep אֵת/אִתְּ + suff 3ms |
| 6 | בְמִשְׁמַר | ve-mishmar | “in custody” | Prep בְּ + N(ms) |
| 7 | בֵּית | beit | “house of” | N(ms) construct |
| 8 | אֲדֹנָיו | ʾadonayv | “his lord” | N(mp form) + suff 3ms |
| 9 | לֵאמֹר | leʾmor | “saying” | Prep לְ + Qal infinitive construct |
| 10 | מַדּוּעַ | madduaʿ | “why” | Interrogative adverb |
| 11 | פְּנֵיכֶם | peneikhem | “your faces” | N(mp construct) + suff 2mp |
| 12 | רָעִים | raʿim | “bad” | Adj mp |
| 13 | הַיֹּום | ha-yom | “today” | Def. art. הַ + N(ms) used adverbially |
Morphology
- וַיִּשְׁאַל (va-yishʾal) – Root: שׁאל (sh-ʾ-l); Root Type: II-Guttural (א) (weak); Binyan: Qal; Form: Conjunction וַ + wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And he asked”; Notes: Continues the narrative by showing Yosef’s concern after seeing their troubled appearance.
- אֶת־סְרִיסֵי (ʾet-serisei) – Root: סריס (saris); Root Type: Strong; Form: Definite direct object marker אֶת + noun masculine plural construct (state: construct); Translation: “the officials of”; Notes: Marks Parʿoh’s officials as the direct object of Yosef’s question.
- פַרְעֹה (Parʿoh) – Root: פרעה (Parʿoh); Root Type: Proper noun; Form: Proper noun masculine singular; Translation: “Parʿoh”; Notes: Royal title of the king of Mitsrayim.
- אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) – Root: אשר (ʾ-sh-r); Root Type: I-Guttural (א) (weak); Form: Relative particle; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces a relative clause identifying which officials are meant.
- אִתֹּו (ʾitto) – Root: את (ʾ-t); Root Type: I-Guttural (א) (weak); Form: Preposition אִתְּ + suffix 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “with him”; Notes: Indicates that the officials were confined in association with Yosef.
- בְמִשְׁמַר (ve-mishmar) – Root: שׁמר (sh-m-r); Root Type: Strong; Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “in custody”; Notes: Refers to their state of guarded confinement.
- בֵּית (beit) – Root: בית (bayit); Root Type: Noun with irregular construct form; Form: Noun masculine singular construct (state: construct); Translation: “house of”; Notes: Begins a construct phrase identifying the custody location as the house belonging to his lord.
- אֲדֹנָיו (ʾadonayv) – Root: אדן (ʾ-d-n); Root Type: I-Guttural (א) (weak); Form: Noun masculine plural form used honorifically/singularly + suffix 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “his lord”; Notes: Refers to Yosef’s master, the Chief of the slaughterers.
- לֵאמֹר (leʾmor) – Root: אמר (ʾ-m-r); Root Type: I-Guttural (א) (weak); Binyan: Qal; Form: Preposition לְ + Qal infinitive construct; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Introduces the content of Yosef’s question.
- מַדּוּעַ (madduaʿ) – Root: ידע (y-d-ʿ); Root Type: I-Yod / III-Guttural (ע) (weak); Form: Interrogative adverb; Translation: “why”; Notes: Opens a direct question about the reason for their appearance.
- פְּנֵיכֶם (peneikhem) – Root: פנה (p-n-h); Root Type: III-He (weak); Form: Noun masculine plural construct (state: construct) + suffix 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “your faces”; Notes: Refers idiomatically to their visible countenance or expression.
- רָעִים (raʿim) – Root: רעע (r-ʿ-ʿ); Root Type: Geminate / II-Guttural (ע); Form: Adjective masculine plural; Translation: “bad”; Notes: In context, describes a distressed, downcast, or troubled facial appearance.
- הַיֹּום (ha-yom) – Root: יום (y-w-m); Root Type: Hollow; Form: Definite article הַ + noun masculine singular used adverbially; Translation: “today”; Notes: Specifies the time of their unusual appearance.