וַיַּ֣רְא יַעֲקֹ֔ב כִּ֥י יֶשׁ־שֶׁ֖בֶר בְּמִצְרָ֑יִם וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יַעֲקֹב֙ לְבָנָ֔יו לָ֖מָּה תִּתְרָאֽוּ׃
And Yaʿaqov saw that there was grain in Mitsrayim, and Yaʿaqov said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?”
Morphology
- וַיַּ֣רְא (vayyar) – Root: רָאָה (ra’ah); Form: Verb, Qal, Consecutive Imperfect, 3ms; Translation: “And he saw”; Notes: Refers to Yaʿaqov perceiving the situation in Egypt.
- יַעֲקֹ֔ב (Yaʿaqov) – Root: יַעֲקֹב (Yaʿaqov); Form: Proper noun, ms; Translation: “Yaʿaqov”; Notes: The subject of the sentence, father of the sons.
- כִּ֥י (ki) – Form: Conjunction; Translation: “that”; Notes: Introduces the reason for Yaʿaqov’s perception.
- יֶשׁ־שֶׁ֖בֶר (yesh-shever) – Root: שֶׁבֶר (shever); Form: Noun, ms; Translation: “there was grain”; Notes: Indicates the presence of grain or provision in Egypt.
- בְּמִצְרָ֑יִם (be-Mitzrayim) – Root: מִצְרַיִם (Mitzrayim); Form: Proper noun with preposition; Translation: “in Egypt”; Notes: Specifies the location where grain is available.
- וַיֹּ֤אמֶר (vayomer) – Root: אָמַר (amar); Form: Verb, Qal, Consecutive Imperfect, 3ms; Translation: “And he said”; Notes: Introduces Yaʿaqov’s speech to his sons.
- יַעֲקֹב֙ (Yaʿaqov) – Root: יַעֲקֹב (Yaʿaqov); Form: Proper noun, ms; Translation: “Yaʿaqov”; Notes: Repeated for emphasis as the speaker.
- לְבָנָ֔יו (le-vanav) – Root: בֵּן (ben); Form: Noun, mp with 3ms possessive suffix; Translation: “to his sons”; Notes: Directs the statement to Yaʿaqov’s sons.
- לָ֖מָּה (lammah) – Form: Interrogative adverb; Translation: “Why”; Notes: Introduces a question directed to his sons.
- תִּתְרָאֽוּ (tit’rau) – Root: רָאָה (ra’ah); Form: Verb, Hithpael, Imperfect, 2mp; Translation: “do you look at one another”; Notes: Reflexive form indicating the sons looking at each other in hesitation or uncertainty.