ל֥וּא הִקְשַׁ֖בְתָּ לְמִצְוֹתָ֑י וַיְהִ֤י כַנָּהָר֙ שְׁלֹומֶ֔ךָ וְצִדְקָתְךָ֖ כְּגַלֵּ֥י הַיָּֽם׃
Oh, that you had listened to My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
Morphology
- ל֥וּא (lu) – Root: לו; Form: Particle; Translation: “Oh, that…” or “If only…”; Notes: Introduces a regretful hypothetical clause.
- הִקְשַׁבְתָּ (hiqshavta) – Root: קשׁב; Form: Hifil perfect 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “you had listened”; Notes: Causative form—implies attentive or obedient listening.
- לְמִצְוֹתָי (le-mitsvotai) – Root: צוה; Form: Preposition + noun feminine plural with 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “to My commandments”; Notes: Refers to the laws or instructions of YHWH.
- וַיְהִי (vayehi) – Root: היה; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “then it would have been”; Notes: Marks the result of the hypothetical situation.
- כַנָּהָר (ka-nahar) – Root: נהר; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “like a river”; Notes: Symbol of abundance and continual flow.
- שְׁלֹומֶךָ (shelomekha) – Root: שׁלם; Form: Noun masculine singular with 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “your peace”; Notes: Refers to wholeness, welfare, or prosperity.
- וְצִדְקָתְךָ (ve-tsidkatkha) – Root: צדק; Form: Conjunction + noun feminine singular with 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “and your righteousness”; Notes: Moral uprightness, covenant faithfulness.
- כְּגַלֵּי (ke-gallei) – Root: גלל; Form: Preposition + noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “like the waves of”; Notes: Imagery of forceful, continual movement.
- הַיָּם (ha-yam) – Root: ים; Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the sea”; Notes: Completes the simile of righteousness as ever-flowing.