Genesis 44:23

וַתֹּ֨אמֶר֙ אֶל־עֲבָדֶ֔יךָ אִם־לֹ֥א יֵרֵ֛ד אֲחִיכֶ֥ם הַקָּטֹ֖ן אִתְּכֶ֑ם לֹ֥א תֹסִפ֖וּן לִרְאֹ֥ות פָּנָֽי׃

And you said to your servants, “If your youngest brother does not come down with you, you shall not see my face again.”

Morphology

1. וַתֹּ֨אמֶר֙ (vatomer) – Root: אָמַר (amar); Form: Verb, Qal, Consecutive Imperfect, 3fs; Translation: “And she said”; Notes: Indicates a direct speech from the subject. The Hebrew phrase וַתֹּ֨אמֶר֙ does appear in the feminine form, which typically would refer to a feminine subject. However, in certain cases in the Hebrew Bible, especially in poetic or narrative contexts, verbs in the feminine form can occasionally be used with a masculine subject, either due to dialectical variations or as a rare stylistic feature. In the context of biblical Hebrew, it’s commonly found in narratives to introduce a woman’s speech. For example, in Genesis 21:10, it’s used to indicate Sarah’s words to Abraham: “וַתֹּ֨אמֶר֙ לְאַבְרָהָ֔ם גָּרֵ֛שׁ הָֽאָמָ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את וְאֶת־בְּנָ֑הּ” (And Sarah said to Abraham, “Cast out this maidservant and her son”). In this passage, וַתֹּ֨אמֶר֙ indeed refers to Yosef, a masculine subject. This stylistic choice is uncommon but can appear in biblical texts, and it doesn’t change the intended meaning or subject in the narrative.
2. אֶל־עֲבָדֶ֔יךָ (el-avadeikha) – Root: עֶבֶד (eved); Form: Preposition “to” + noun, mp with 2ms possessive suffix; Translation: “to your servants”; Notes: Refers to those serving the addressed individual.
3. אִם־לֹ֥א (im-lo) – Form: Conditional particle “if” + negation; Translation: “if not”; Notes: Introduces a conditional clause.
4. יֵרֵ֛ד (yered) – Root: יָרַד (yarad); Form: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, 3ms; Translation: “he goes down”; Notes: Refers to the action expected of the youngest brother.
5. אֲחִיכֶ֥ם (achikhem) – Root: אָח (ach); Form: Noun, ms with 2mp possessive suffix; Translation: “your brother”; Notes: Refers to the youngest brother.
6. הַקָּטֹ֖ן (hakaton) – Root: קָטָן (katan); Form: Adjective, ms with definite article; Translation: “the youngest”; Notes: Describes the brother in terms of age or rank.
7. אִתְּכֶ֑ם (ittechem) – Root: אֵת (et); Form: Preposition “with” + 2mp suffix; Translation: “with you”; Notes: Indicates the brother’s required presence alongside the addressed group.
8. לֹ֥א (lo) – Form: Negation particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates the subsequent verb.
9. תֹסִפ֖וּן (tosifun) – Root: יָסַף (yasaf); Form: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, 2mp; Translation: “you shall add”; Notes: Expresses the condition that without the brother, they cannot proceed.
10. לִרְאֹ֥ות (lirot) – Root: רָאָה (ra’ah); Form: Verb, Qal, Infinitive Construct; Translation: “to see”; Notes: Indicates the action prevented without the brother’s presence.
11. פָּנָֽי (panai) – Root: פָּנִים (panim); Form: Noun, mp with 1cs possessive suffix; Translation: “my face”; Notes: Represents the person speaking, whom they cannot face without meeting the condition.