Genesis 43:20

וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ בִּ֣י אֲדֹנִ֑י יָרֹ֥ד יָרַ֛דְנוּ בַּתְּחִלָּ֖ה לִשְׁבָּר־אֹֽכֶל׃

And they said, “Please, my lord, we came down at first to buy food.”

 

Morphology

  1. וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ (vayomru) – Root: אָמַר (amar); Form: Verb, Qal, Consecutive Imperfect, 3mp; Translation: “And they said”; Notes: Refers to the brothers addressing Yosef.
  2. בִּ֣י (bi) – Root: בִּי (bi); Form: Particle, interjection; Translation: “Please”; Notes: Expresses a plea or request.
  3. אֲדֹנִ֑י (adoni) – Root: אָדוֹן (adon); Form: Noun, ms with 1cs suffix; Translation: “my lord”; Notes: Shows respect to Yosef, who is being addressed as “my lord.”
  4. יָרֹ֥ד (yarod) – Root: יָרַד (yarad); Form: Verb, Qal, Perfect, 3ms; Translation: “we came down”; Notes: Describes their previous journey.
  5. יָרַ֛דְנוּ (yaradnu) – Root: יָרַד (yarad); Form: Verb, Qal, Perfect, 1cp; Translation: “we came down”; Notes: Emphasizes the act of descending to Egypt for food.
  6. בַּתְּחִלָּ֖ה (batḥillah) – Root: תְּחִלָּה (teḥillah); Form: Noun, fs with definite article; Translation: “at first”; Notes: Indicates the initial time of their journey.
  7. לִשְׁבָּר־ (lishbor) – Root: שָׁבַר (shavar); Form: Verb, Qal, Infinitive Construct with preposition; Translation: “to buy”; Notes: Describes the purpose of their journey.
  8. אֹֽכֶל (okhel) – Root: אָכַל (akal); Form: Noun, ms; Translation: “food”; Notes: Refers to the sustenance they sought in Egypt.

 

 

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