וְאָנֹכִ֛י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם וֵאלֹהִ֤ים זֽוּלָתִי֙ לֹ֣א תֵדָ֔ע וּמֹושִׁ֥יעַ אַ֖יִן בִּלְתִּֽי׃
But I am YHWH your God from the land of Mitsrayim, and you shall know no god besides Me, for there is no savior except Me.
Morphology
- וְאָנֹכִי (ve-anokhi) – Root: —; Form: Conjunction וְ + independent pronoun 1st person singular; Translation: “But I”; Notes: Emphasizes divine self-identification—YHWH contrasts Himself with false gods, asserting covenantal continuity.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) – Root: הוה (havah); Form: Proper noun divine name; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The Tetragrammaton—denotes the covenantal, self-existent God of Yisraʾel.
- אֱלֹהֶיךָ (Elohekha) – Root: אלה (ʾalah); Form: Noun masculine plural (of majesty) + suffix 2ms; Translation: “your God”; Notes: Indicates personal covenant relationship—YHWH as the sole deity of Yisraʾel.
- מֵאֶרֶץ (me-erets) – Root: ארץ (ʾerets); Form: Preposition מִן + noun feminine singular; Translation: “from the land of”; Notes: Denotes YHWH’s redemptive act in history—His deliverance from Mitsrayim establishes divine authority.
- מִצְרָיִם (Mitsrayim) – Root: מצר (matsar); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Mitsrayim”; Notes: Refers to Egypt; symbolizes bondage and the context of YHWH’s salvation.
- וֵאלֹהִים (ve-Elohim) – Root: אלה (ʾalah); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun masculine plural (of majesty); Translation: “and gods”; Notes: Transition into prohibition—contrasting YHWH’s singular divinity with false deities.
- זֻלָתִי (zulati) – Root: זל (zalal); Form: Preposition “besides” + suffix 1cs; Translation: “besides Me”; Notes: Exclusivity formula—no divine being comparable or alternative to YHWH.
- לֹא (lo) – Root: —; Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Introduces negation in the imperative clause.
- תֵדָע (tedaʿ) – Root: ידע (yadaʿ); Form: Qal imperfect 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “you shall know”; Notes: Conveys experiential knowledge—knowing through relationship, not mere cognition.
- וּמֹושִׁיעַ (u-moshiʿa) – Root: ישע (yashaʿ); Form: Conjunction וְ + Hiphil participle masculine singular; Translation: “and savior”; Notes: Emphasizes YHWH as the only agent of deliverance, underscoring theological exclusivity.
- אַיִן (ayin) – Root: —; Form: Existential particle; Translation: “there is none”; Notes: Expresses absolute negation—no existence of any other being capable of saving.
- בִּלְתִּי (bilti) – Root: בל (bal); Form: Negative particle + preposition; Translation: “except Me” or “besides Me”; Notes: Reinforces monotheistic exclusivity—only YHWH is savior; syntactically parallels Deuteronomic confessional formulae.