הֲתִשְׁכַּ֤ח אִשָּׁה֙ עוּלָ֔הּ מֵרַחֵ֖ם בֶּן־בִּטְנָ֑הּ גַּם־אֵ֣לֶּה תִשְׁכַּ֔חְנָה וְאָנֹכִ֖י לֹ֥א אֶשְׁכָּחֵֽךְ׃
Can a woman forget her nursing child, cease to have compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.
Morphology
- הֲתִשְׁכַּח (ha-tishkaḥ) – Root: שׁכח; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person feminine singular with interrogative prefix; Translation: “Can she forget?”; Notes: Rhetorical question expressing improbability.
- אִשָּׁה (ishah) – Root: אשה; Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “a woman”; Notes: Subject of the rhetorical question.
- עוּלָהּ (ʿulah) – Root: עול; Form: Noun masculine singular + 3rd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “her nursing child”; Notes: Refers to a very young, dependent infant.
- מֵרַחֵם (me-raḥem) – Root: רחם; Form: Preposition + infinitive construct; Translation: “from having compassion”; Notes: Expresses potential failure to show motherly care.
- בֶּן־בִּטְנָהּ (ben-bitnah) – Root: בן, בטן; Form: Noun masculine singular construct + noun feminine singular + 3rd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “the son of her womb”; Notes: Intensifies the emotional connection.
- גַּם־אֵלֶּה (gam-elleh) – Root: —; Form: Adverb + demonstrative pronoun masculine plural; Translation: “even these”; Notes: Refers to women who might forget, though rarely.
- תִשְׁכַּחְנָה (tishkaḥnah) – Root: שׁכח; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person feminine plural; Translation: “they may forget”; Notes: Acknowledges human frailty.
- וְאָנֹכִי (ve-anokhi) – Root: —; Form: Conjunction + independent pronoun 1st person singular; Translation: “but I”; Notes: Emphatic contrast with “they.”
- לֹא (lo) – Root: לא; Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates the verb following it.
- אֶשְׁכָּחֵךְ (ʾeshkaḥekh) – Root: שׁכח; Form: Qal imperfect 1st person singular + 2nd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “I will forget you”; Notes: Divine assurance of enduring remembrance.