Hosea 12:9 (Hosea 12:8)

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֶפְרַ֔יִם אַ֣ךְ עָשַׁ֔רְתִּי מָצָ֥אתִי אֹ֖ון לִ֑י כָּל־יְגִיעַ֕י לֹ֥א יִמְצְאוּ־לִ֖י עָוֹ֥ן אֲשֶׁר־חֵֽטְא׃

And Efrayim said, “Surely I have become rich, I have found wealth for myself; in all my labors they shall find no iniquity in me that would be sin.”

Morphology

1. וַיֹּאמֶר (vayyoʾmer) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And he said”; Notes: Introduces Ephrayim’s self-confident speech, showing pride and self-deception.
2. אֶפְרַיִם (Ephrayim) – Root: אפרים (Ephrayim); Form: Proper noun masculine singular; Translation: “Ephrayim”; Notes: Represents the northern kingdom of Yisraʾel, often personified as an individual expressing collective guilt.
3. אַךְ (ʾakh) – Root: אך (ʾakh); Form: Adverb; Translation: “Surely” or “indeed”; Notes: Adds emphasis—Ephrayim confidently asserts his prosperity as proof of righteousness.
4. עָשַׁרְתִּי (ʿasharti) – Root: עשר (ʿashar); Form: Qal perfect 1st person common singular; Translation: “I have become rich”; Notes: Expresses self-sufficiency—Ephrayim equates material success with divine approval, revealing moral blindness.
5. מָצָאתִי (matzati) – Root: מצא (matzaʾ); Form: Qal perfect 1st person common singular; Translation: “I have found”; Notes: Parallel verb reinforcing the boast—prosperity is viewed as self-attained rather than granted by YHWH.
6. אֹון (ʾon) – Root: און (ʾon); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “wealth” or “strength”; Notes: Can denote both material wealth and power; sometimes carries connotations of vain or unjust gain (cf. Genesis 49:6).
7. לִי (li) – Root: ל (lamed); Form: Preposition לְ + suffix 1cs; Translation: “for myself”; Notes: Indicates possession or self-centered focus—contrasts divine generosity with human pride.
8. כָּל־יְגִיעַי (kol-yegiʿai) – Root: יגע (yagaʿ); Form: Noun masculine singular construct + suffix 1cs; Translation: “all my labors”; Notes: Emphasizes human effort and achievement—Ephrayim attributes success solely to his own toil.
9. לֹא (lo) – Root: לא (lo); Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates the following verb—introduces Ephrayim’s denial of guilt.
10. יִמְצְאוּ־לִי (yimtzeʾu-li) – Root: מצא (matzaʾ); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural + suffix 1cs; Translation: “they shall find in me”; Notes: Suggests that others cannot accuse him of wrongdoing—reflects moral self-justification.
11. עָוֹן (ʿavon) – Root: עון (ʿavon); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “iniquity”; Notes: Refers to guilt or wrongdoing, particularly moral corruption or deceit.
12. אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) – Root: אשר (ʾasher); Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “that” or “which”; Notes: Connects the previous clause to specify the nature of the iniquity being denied.
13. חֵטְא (ḥetʾ) – Root: חטא (ḥataʾ); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “sin”; Notes: Conveys moral transgression or offense against divine law; here denied hypocritically, revealing Ephrayim’s spiritual delusion.