וְלֹא־יָשִׁ֣יב אֶל־לִבֹּ֗ו וְלֹ֨א דַ֥עַת וְלֹֽא־תְבוּנָה֮ לֵאמֹר֒ חֶצְיֹ֞ו שָׂרַ֣פְתִּי בְמֹו־אֵ֗שׁ וְ֠אַף אָפִ֤יתִי עַל־גֶּחָלָיו֙ לֶ֔חֶם אֶצְלֶ֥ה בָשָׂ֖ר וְאֹכֵ֑ל וְיִתְרֹו֙ לְתֹועֵבָ֣ה אֶעֱשֶׂ֔ה לְב֥וּל עֵ֖ץ אֶסְגֹּֽוד׃
And he does not bring it back to his heart, and there is no knowledge and no understanding to say: “Half of it I burned in the fire, and also I baked bread on its coals, I roasted meat and ate. Then the rest should I make into an abomination? Should I bow down to a block of wood?”
Morphology
- וְלֹא־יָשִׁיב (ve-lo-yashiv) – Root: שׁוב; Form: Conjunction + negative particle + Hifil imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and he does not bring back”; Notes: Idiomatically, “he does not consider” or “reflect.”
- אֶל־לִבֹּו (el-libbo) – Root: לבב; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “to his heart”; Notes: “Heart” as seat of thought and reflection.
- וְלֹא דַעַת (ve-lo-daʿat) – Root: ידע; Form: Conjunction + negative particle + noun feminine singular; Translation: “and no knowledge”; Notes: Lack of discernment or awareness.
- וְלֹא־תְבוּנָה (ve-lo-tevunah) – Root: בין; Form: Conjunction + negative particle + noun feminine singular; Translation: “and no understanding”; Notes: Intellectual insight absent.
- לֵאמֹר (leʾemor) – Root: אמר; Form: Preposition + infinitive construct; Translation: “to say”; Notes: Introduces the internal reasoning that should occur but doesn’t.
- חֶצְיֹו (ḥetsyo) – Root: חצי; Form: Noun masculine singular construct + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “half of it”; Notes: Refers to half the log used for fire.
- שָׂרַפְתִּי (saraphti) – Root: שרף; Form: Qal perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I burned”; Notes: Recounting previous use of the wood.
- בְמֹו־אֵשׁ (be-mo-esh) – Root: אשׁ; Form: Preposition + poetic pronoun + noun; Translation: “in the fire”; Notes: Archaic phrase meaning “in the fire.”
- אַף (af) – Root: אף; Form: Adverb; Translation: “also”; Notes: Continues the irony of usage.
- אָפִיתִי (afiti) – Root: אפה; Form: Qal perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I baked”; Notes: Refers to bread preparation.
- עַל־גֶּחָלָיו (ʿal-gekhalav) – Root: גחל; Form: Preposition + plural noun + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “on its coals”; Notes: Refers to burning embers.
- לֶחֶם (leḥem) – Root: לחם; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “bread”; Notes: The object baked using the wood.
- אֶצְלֶה (etzleh) – Root: צלה; Form: Qal imperfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I roasted”; Notes: Describes the act of preparing meat.
- בָשָׂר (basar) – Root: בשר; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “meat”; Notes: Common food product.
- וְאֹכֵל (ve-okhel) – Root: אכל; Form: Qal participle or imperfect 1st person; Translation: “and I ate”; Notes: Part of recounting logical use.
- וְיִתְרֹו (ve-yitro) – Root: יתר; Form: Conjunction + noun masculine singular construct + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “and its remainder”; Notes: What remains of the log.
- לְתֹועֵבָה (le-toʿevah) – Root: תעב; Form: Preposition + noun feminine singular; Translation: “into an abomination”; Notes: Used frequently for idols and detestable acts.
- אֶעֱשֶׂה (eʿeseh) – Root: עשה; Form: Qal imperfect 1st person singular; Translation: “should I make”; Notes: Rhetorical self-questioning.
- לְב֥וּל עֵץ (le-vul ʿets) – Root: בול; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular construct + noun masculine singular; Translation: “to a block of wood”; Notes: “Būl” is a rare or poetic word for lump or piece.
- אֶסְגֹּד (esgod) – Root: סגד; Form: Qal imperfect 1st person singular; Translation: “should I bow down?”; Notes: Final rhetorical expression of absurdity.