וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוּדָ֗ה מַה־נֹּאמַר֙ לַֽאדֹנִ֔י מַה־נְּדַבֵּ֖ר וּמַה־נִּצְטַדָּ֑ק הָאֱלֹהִ֗ים מָצָא֙ אֶת־עֲוֹ֣ן עֲבָדֶ֔יךָ הִנֶּנּ֤וּ עֲבָדִים֙ לַֽאדֹנִ֔י גַּם־אֲנַ֕חְנוּ גַּ֛ם אֲשֶׁר־נִמְצָ֥א הַגָּבִ֖יעַ בְּיָדֹֽו׃
And Yehuda said, “What can we say to my lord? What can we speak, and how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants. Behold, we are my lord’s servants, both we and he also with whom the goblet was found.”
Morphology
- וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (vayomer) – Root: אָמַר (amar); Form: Verb, Qal, Consecutive Imperfect, 3ms; Translation: “And he said”; Notes: Refers to Yehudah speaking to Yosef.
- יְהוּדָ֗ה (Yehudah) – Root: יְהוּדָה (Yehudah); Form: Proper noun, ms; Translation: “Yehudah”; Notes: Refers to the speaker, Yehudah.
- מַה־נֹּאמַר֙ (mah-no’mar) – Root: אָמַר (amar); Form: Interrogative “what” + verb, Qal, Imperfect, 1cp; Translation: “What can we say”; Notes: Indicates Yehudah’s rhetorical question.
- לַֽאדֹנִ֔י (ladoni) – Root: אָדוֹן (adon); Form: Noun, ms with possessive 1cs suffix; Translation: “to my lord”; Notes: Refers to Yosef, addressed as lord.
- מַה־נְּדַבֵּ֖ר (mah-ndabber) – Root: דָּבַר (dabar); Form: Interrogative “what” + verb, Piel, Imperfect, 1cp; Translation: “What can we speak”; Notes: Emphasizes Yehudah’s uncertainty.
- וּמַה־נִּצְטַדָּ֑ק (u-ma-nitztadaq) – Root: צָדַק (tsadaq); Form: Interrogative “what” + verb, Nifal, Imperfect, 1cp; Translation: “and how can we justify ourselves”; Notes: Yehudah acknowledges guilt.
- הָאֱלֹהִ֗ים (ha-Elohim) – Root: אֱלֹהִים (Elohim); Form: Noun, mp with definite article; Translation: “God”; Notes: Refers to God as the one revealing their guilt.
- מָצָא֙ (matsa) – Root: מָצָא (matsa); Form: Verb, Qal, Perfect, 3ms; Translation: “has found”; Notes: Indicates God’s discovery of iniquity.
- אֶת־עֲוֹ֣ן (et-avon) – Root: עָוֹן (avon); Form: Noun, ms with accusative marker; Translation: “the iniquity of”; Notes: Refers to their guilt or wrongdoing.
- עֲבָדֶ֔יךָ (avadeikha) – Root: עֶבֶד (eved); Form: Noun, mp with possessive 2ms suffix; Translation: “your servants”; Notes: Refers to Yehudah and his brothers.
- הִנֶּנּ֤וּ (hinenu) – Root: הִנֵּה (hinneh); Form: Particle, 1cp; Translation: “Behold, we are”; Notes: Emphatic declaration of their submission.
- עֲבָדִים֙ (avadim) – Root: עֶבֶד (eved); Form: Noun, mp; Translation: “servants”; Notes: Signifies their offer of servitude.
- לַֽאדֹנִ֔י (ladoni) – Root: אָדוֹן (adon); Form: Noun, ms with possessive 1cs suffix; Translation: “to my lord”; Notes: Refers to Yosef as their lord.
- גַּם־אֲנַ֕חְנוּ (gam-anakhnu) – Form: Particle “also” + pronoun, 1cp; Translation: “both we”; Notes: Emphasizes collective responsibility.
- גַּ֛ם (gam) – Form: Particle; Translation: “and also”; Notes: Adds emphasis to “both we and he.”
- אֲשֶׁר־נִמְצָ֥א (asher-nimtza) – Root: מָצָא (matsa); Form: Relative pronoun “who” + verb, Nifal, Perfect, 3ms; Translation: “who was found”; Notes: Refers to the one with whom the goblet was found.
- הַגָּבִ֖יעַ (hagavi’a) – Root: גָּבִיעַ (gavi’a); Form: Noun, ms with definite article; Translation: “the goblet”; Notes: The object that was found.
- בְּיָדֹֽו (beyado) – Root: יָד (yad); Form: Noun, fs with preposition “in” + possessive 3ms suffix; Translation: “in his hand”; Notes: Indicates possession of the goblet.