וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ הֶחֱיִתָ֑נוּ נִמְצָא־חֵן֙ בְּעֵינֵ֣י אֲדֹנִ֔י וְהָיִ֥ינוּ עֲבָדִ֖ים לְפַרְעֹֽה׃
And they said, “You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the eyes of my lord, and we will be servants to Par’o.”
Morphology
- וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ (vayyo’meru) – Root: אמר (amar); Form: Verb, Qal, Consecutive Imperfect, 3mp; Translation: “And they said”; Notes: Refers to the people speaking to Yosef.
- הֶחֱיִתָ֑נוּ (hecheyitanu) – Root: חיה (chayah); Form: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, 2ms with 1cp suffix; Translation: “You have saved us”; Notes: Indicates Yosef’s provision for their survival.
- נִמְצָא־חֵן֙ (nimtza-chen) – Root: מצא (matza) and חן (chen); Form: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, 3ms and noun, masculine singular construct; Translation: “let us find favor”; Notes: Expresses a plea for favor or acceptance.
- בְּעֵינֵ֣י (be-einei) – Root: עין (ayin); Form: Noun, feminine dual construct with preposition; Translation: “in the eyes of”; Notes: A Hebrew idiom meaning “in the sight of.”
- אֲדֹנִ֔י (adoni) – Root: אדן (adon); Form: Noun, masculine singular construct with 1cs suffix; Translation: “my lord”; Notes: Refers to Yosef as the one in authority.
- וְהָיִ֥ינוּ (vehayinu) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Verb, Qal, Perfect, 1cp; Translation: “and we will be”; Notes: Indicates their acceptance of servitude.
- עֲבָדִ֖ים (avadim) – Root: עבד (eved); Form: Noun, masculine plural; Translation: “servants”; Notes: Refers to their willingness to serve Pharaoh.
- לְפַרְעֹֽה׃ (le-Phar’oh) – Form: Preposition with proper noun; Translation: “to Pharaoh”; Notes: Identifies Pharaoh as the one they will serve.