וְכִי־תֹאמַ֣ר אֵלַ֔י אֶל־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ בָּטָ֑חְנוּ הֲלֹוא־ה֗וּא אֲשֶׁ֨ר הֵסִ֤יר חִזְקִיָּ֨הוּ֙ אֶת־בָּמֹתָ֣יו וְאֶת־מִזְבְּחֹתָ֔יו וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לִֽיהוּדָה֙ וְלִיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם לִפְנֵ֛י הַמִּזְבֵּ֥חַ הַזֶּ֖ה תִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוֽוּ׃
And if you say to me, “In YHWH our God we have trusted,” is it not He whose high places and altars Ḥizqiyyahu removed, and said to Yehuda and to Yerushalayim, “Before this altar you shall bow down”?
Morphology
- וְכִי־תֹאמַר (ve-ki toʾmar) – Root: אמר; Form: Conjunction + Qal imperfect 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “And if you say”; Notes: Introduces a conditional clause.
- אֵלַי (elai) – Root: אל; Form: Preposition + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Refers to the speaker, presumably Rav-shaqeh.
- אֶל־יְהוָה (el-YHWH) – Root: אל; Form: Preposition + proper name; Translation: “in YHWH”; Notes: Begins the object clause of the trust statement.
- אֱלֹהֵינוּ (Eloheinu) – Root: אלה; Form: Construct noun masculine plural + 1st person plural suffix; Translation: “our God”; Notes: Identifies the object of trust as the national deity.
- בָּטָחְנוּ (bataḥnu) – Root: בטח; Form: Qal perfect 1st person plural; Translation: “we have trusted”; Notes: Declares confidence placed in YHWH.
- הֲלֹוא (halo) – Root: לא; Form: Interrogative particle; Translation: “is it not”; Notes: Introduces a rhetorical question.
- הוּא (hu) – Root: Pronoun; Form: 3rd person masculine singular independent pronoun; Translation: “he”; Notes: Refers back to YHWH as subject.
- אֲשֶׁר (asher) – Root: Relative pronoun; Form: Independent; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces a relative clause explaining the referent.
- הֵסִיר (hesir) – Root: סור; Form: Hifil perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “he removed”; Notes: Describes action taken by Ḥizqiyyahu against worship sites.
- חִזְקִיָּהוּ (Ḥizqiyyahu) – Root: Proper name; Form: Proper noun masculine singular; Translation: “Ḥizqiyyahu”; Notes: The king of Yehudah being referenced.
- אֶת־בָּמֹתָיו (et-bamotav) – Root: במה; Form: Direct object marker + noun feminine plural + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “his high places”; Notes: Refers to local cultic worship sites.
- וְאֶת־מִזְבְּחֹתָיו (ve-et-mizbeḥotav) – Root: זבח; Form: Conjunction + direct object marker + noun masculine plural + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “and his altars”; Notes: Paired with high places as removed cultic infrastructure.
- וַיֹּאמֶר (va-yomer) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: Introduces directive issued by Ḥizqiyyahu.
- לִיהוּדָה (li-Yehudah) – Root: ידה; Form: Preposition + proper noun; Translation: “to Yehudah”; Notes: Refers to the southern kingdom and its people.
- וְלִירוּשָׁלִַם (ve-li-Yerushalayim) – Root: ירש + שלם; Form: Conjunction + preposition + proper noun; Translation: “and to Yerushalayim”; Notes: The capital city, paired with Yehudah.
- לִפְנֵי (lifnei) – Root: פנה; Form: Preposition; Translation: “before”; Notes: Indicates spatial proximity to a sacred object.
- הַמִּזְבֵּחַ (ha-mizbeaḥ) – Root: זבח; Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the altar”; Notes: Refers to the central altar in Yerushalayim.
- הַזֶּה (ha-zeh) – Root: זה; Form: Demonstrative masculine singular with article; Translation: “this”; Notes: Specifies the central altar as the sole place of worship.
- תִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ (tishtaḥavu) – Root: שׁחה; Form: Hishtaphel imperfect 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “you shall bow down”; Notes: Commanded act of worship directed exclusively at one location.