אַֽל־תִּפְחֲדוּ֙ וְאַל־תִּרְה֔וּ הֲלֹ֥א מֵאָ֛ז הִשְׁמַעְתִּ֥יךָ וְהִגַּ֖דְתִּי וְאַתֶּ֣ם עֵדָ֑י הֲיֵ֤שׁ אֱלֹ֨והַּ֙ מִבַּלְעָדַ֔י וְאֵ֥ין צ֖וּר בַּל־יָדָֽעְתִּי׃
Do not be afraid and do not tremble. Have I not from then declared it to you and told it? And you are My witnesses. Is there a god besides Me? And there is no rock; I do not know of any.
Morphology
- אַל (ʾal) – Root: אל; Form: Negative particle; Translation: “Do not”; Notes: Used for prohibitions.
- תִּפְחֲדוּ (tifḥadu) – Root: פחד; Form: Qal imperfect 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “be afraid”; Notes: With אַל forms a prohibition: “Do not fear.”
- וְאַל (ve-ʾal) – Root: אל; Form: Conjunction + negative particle; Translation: “and do not”; Notes: Parallel prohibition structure.
- תִּרְהוּ (tirhu) – Root: רהה; Form: Qal imperfect 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “tremble”; Notes: Parallel to תִּפְחֲדוּ, emotional fear.
- הֲלֹא (halo) – Root: לא; Form: Interrogative particle + negation; Translation: “Have I not”; Notes: Introduces rhetorical question.
- מֵאָז (meʾaz) – Root: אז; Form: Preposition + adverb; Translation: “from then”; Notes: Refers to a prior time, possibly from the beginning.
- הִשְׁמַעְתִּיךָ (hishmaʿtikha) – Root: שמע; Form: Hifil perfect 1st person singular + 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “I caused you to hear”; Notes: Causative aspect in Hifil.
- וְהִגַּדְתִּי (ve-higgadti) – Root: נגד; Form: Hifil perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “and I declared”; Notes: Parallel verb to emphasize prior revelation.
- וְאַתֶּם (ve-atem) – Root: אתם; Form: Conjunction + pronoun 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “and you”; Notes: Emphatic shift to audience.
- עֵדָי (ʿedai) – Root: עד; Form: Noun masculine plural + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “My witnesses”; Notes: Legal term: those who testify on YHWH’s behalf.
- הֲיֵשׁ (ha-yesh) – Root: ישׁ; Form: Interrogative particle + existential particle; Translation: “Is there”; Notes: Introduces rhetorical question.
- אֱלֹוהַּ (ʾeloaḥ) – Root: אלה; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “a god”; Notes: Singular form, emphasizing no divine rival.
- מִבַּלְעָדַי (mi-balʿaday) – Root: בלע; Form: Preposition מן + noun with 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “besides Me”; Notes: Exclusive claim of divinity.
- וְאֵין (ve-ʾein) – Root: אין; Form: Conjunction + negative existential particle; Translation: “and there is no”; Notes: Continues the exclusivity claim.
- צוּר (tsur) – Root: צור; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “rock”; Notes: Metaphor for strength, security, deity.
- בַּל (bal) – Root: בל; Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Formal or poetic negation.
- יָדָעְתִּי (yadaʿti) – Root: ידע; Form: Qal perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I have known”; Notes: Expresses full awareness or recognition.