וַיֹּאמְר֡וּ שָׁאֹ֣ול שָֽׁאַל־֠הָאִישׁ לָ֣נוּ וּלְמֹֽולַדְתֵּ֜נוּ לֵאמֹ֗ר הַעֹ֨וד אֲבִיכֶ֥ם חַי֙ הֲיֵ֣שׁ לָכֶ֣ם אָ֔ח וַנַ֨גֶּד־לֹ֔ו עַל־פִּ֖י הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה הֲיָדֹ֣ועַ נֵדַ֔ע כִּ֣י יֹאמַ֔ר הֹורִ֖ידוּ אֶת־אֲחִיכֶֽם׃
And they said, “The man specifically asked about us and our kindred, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have a brother?’ And we answered according to these matters. How could we have known that he would say, ‘Bring down your brother’?”
Morphology
- וַיֹּאמְר֡וּ (vayomru) – Root: אָמַר (amar); Form: Verb, Qal, Consecutive Imperfect, 3mp; Translation: “And they said”; Notes: Indicates the speech of the brothers in response to their previous experience.
- שָׁאֹ֣ול שָֽׁאַל (sha’ol sha’al) – Root: שָׁאַל (sha’al); Form: Infinitive absolute + perfect, 3ms; Translation: “specifically asked”; Notes: Emphasizes the directness or intensity of the questioning.
- הָאִישׁ (ha’ish) – Root: אִישׁ (ish); Form: Noun, ms with definite article; Translation: “the man”; Notes: Refers to Yosef, who questioned them in Egypt.
- לָ֣נוּ (lanu) – Root: לָנוּ (lanu); Form: Preposition with 1cp suffix; Translation: “about us”; Notes: Indicates the object of the questioning.
- וּלְמֹֽולַדְתֵּ֜נוּ (ulmoledetenu) – Root: מוֹלֶדֶת (moledet); Form: Noun, fs with 1cp suffix; Translation: “and our kindred”; Notes: Refers to their family lineage or kinship ties.
- לֵאמֹ֗ר (lemor) – Root: אָמַר (amar); Form: Infinitive construct; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Introduces Yosef’s words directly.
- הַעֹ֨וד (ha’od) – Root: עוֹד (od); Form: Adverb with definite article; Translation: “still”; Notes: Used to ask if their father is still alive.
- אֲבִיכֶ֥ם (avikhem) – Root: אָב (av); Form: Noun, ms with 2mp suffix; Translation: “your father”; Notes: Refers to the brothers’ father, Yaakov.
- חַי֙ (chai) – Root: חַי (chai); Form: Adjective, ms; Translation: “alive”; Notes: Qualifies the state of the father.
- הֲיֵ֣שׁ (hayesh) – Root: יֵשׁ (yesh); Form: Interrogative; Translation: “Is there”; Notes: Used to ask if they have a brother.
- לָכֶ֣ם (lakhem) – Root: לָכֶם (lakhem); Form: Preposition with 2mp suffix; Translation: “for you”; Notes: Directed to the brothers.
- אָ֔ח (ach) – Root: אָח (ach); Form: Noun, ms; Translation: “a brother”; Notes: Refers to Binyamin.
- וַנַ֨גֶּד־לֹ֔ו (vanaged-lo) – Root: נָגַד (nagad); Form: Verb, Hifil, Consecutive Imperfect, 1cp + 3ms suffix; Translation: “And we told him”; Notes: Indicates their response to Yosef’s questioning.
- עַל־פִּ֖י (al-pi) – Root: פֶּה (peh); Form: Noun, ms in construct; Translation: “according to”; Notes: Introduces the words they responded with.
- הַדְּבָרִ֣ים (hadvarim) – Root: דָּבָר (davar); Form: Noun, mp with definite article; Translation: “these matters”; Notes: Refers to the content of their conversation with Yosef.
- הָאֵ֑לֶּה (ha’eleh) – Root: אֵלֶּה (eleh); Form: Demonstrative pronoun, mp; Translation: “these”; Notes: Emphasizes specificity of the matters discussed.
- הֲיָדֹ֣ועַ (hayedoa) – Root: יָדַע (yada); Form: Verb, Qal, Passive Participle, ms; Translation: “Could we have known”; Notes: Expresses their lack of foreknowledge.
- נֵדַ֔ע (neda) – Root: יָדַע (yada); Form: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, 1cp; Translation: “we would know”; Notes: Continuation of their rhetorical question.
- כִּ֣י (ki) – Conjunction; Translation: “that”; Notes: Introduces a subordinate clause.
- יֹאמַ֔ר (yo-mar) – Root: אמר (amar); Form: Qal, imperfect, 3ms; Translation: “he would say”; Notes: Indicates a possible or expected response.
- הֹורִ֖ידוּ (ho-ri-du) – Root: ירד (yarad); Form: Hifil, imperative, 2mp; Translation: “bring down”; Notes: Hifil imperative instructs specific action, often involving causation.
- אֶת־ (et) – Direct object marker; Translation: “—”; Notes: Marks the direct object that follows.
- אֲחִיכֶֽם (a-chi-chem) – Root: אח (ach); Form: noun, ms with 2mp suffix; Translation: “your brother”; Notes: Direct object of the imperative command.