וְאָמַ֣רְתְּ בִּלְבָבֵ֗ךְ מִ֤י יָֽלַד־לִי֙ אֶת־אֵ֔לֶּה וַאֲנִ֥י שְׁכוּלָ֖ה וְגַלְמוּדָ֑ה גֹּלָ֣ה וְסוּרָ֗ה וְאֵ֨לֶּה֙ מִ֣י גִדֵּ֔ל הֵ֤ן אֲנִי֙ נִשְׁאַ֣רְתִּי לְבַדִּ֔י אֵ֖לֶּה אֵיפֹ֥ה הֵֽם׃ פ
And you shall say in your heart: ‘Who has borne me these, when I was bereaved and barren, exiled and turned away? And these, who has raised them? Behold, I was left alone; these, where were they?’”
Morphology
- וְאָמַ֣רְתְּ (veʾamart) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal perfect 2nd person feminine singular with vav-conjunctive; Translation: “and you shall say”; Notes: Directed to Tsiyon, personified as a woman.
- בִּלְבָבֵ֗ךְ (bilvavekh) – Root: לבב; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular construct + 2nd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “in your heart”; Notes: Expresses inner speech or reflection.
- מִ֤י (mi) – Root: מי; Form: Interrogative pronoun; Translation: “who?”; Notes: Introduces a rhetorical question of surprise.
- יָֽלַד־לִי֙ (yalad-li) – Root: ילד; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “has borne for me”; Notes: Expresses astonishment at unexpected children.
- אֶת־אֵ֔לֶּה (et-ʾelleh) – Root: אלה; Form: Direct object marker + demonstrative plural; Translation: “these”; Notes: Points to the returning children of Tsiyon.
- וַאֲנִ֥י (vaʾani) – Root: אנכי/אני; Form: Independent pronoun with vav-conjunctive; Translation: “and I”; Notes: Emphasizes contrast with what follows.
- שְׁכוּלָ֖ה (shekhulah) – Root: שכל; Form: Adjective, feminine singular; Translation: “bereaved”; Notes: Suggests loss of children.
- וְגַלְמוּדָ֑ה (ve-galmudah) – Root: גלמד; Form: Adjective, feminine singular; Translation: “barren” or “desolate”; Notes: Paired with bereavement for emphasis.
- גֹּלָ֣ה (golah) – Root: גלה; Form: Qal active participle feminine singular; Translation: “exiled”; Notes: Expresses the state of dispersion.
- וְסוּרָ֗ה (ve-surah) – Root: סור; Form: Qal passive participle feminine singular; Translation: “turned away”; Notes: Suggests alienation or rejection.
- וְאֵ֨לֶּה (veʾelleh) – Root: אלה; Form: Conjunction + demonstrative plural; Translation: “and these”; Notes: Renewed focus on the unexpected children.
- מִ֣י גִדֵּ֔ל (mi giddel) – Root: גדל; Form: Piel perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “who has raised”; Notes: Piel emphasizes the act of nurturing or bringing up.
- הֵ֤ן (hen) – Root: הן; Form: Demonstrative pronoun; Translation: “behold”; Notes: Adds emphasis.
- אֲנִי֙ (ani) – Root: אנכי/אני; Form: Independent pronoun; Translation: “I”; Notes: Repetition reinforces personal astonishment.
- נִשְׁאַ֣רְתִּי (nishʾarti) – Root: שאר; Form: Nifal perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I was left”; Notes: Passive form, suggesting isolation or remnant.
- לְבַדִּ֔י (levaddi) – Root: בדד; Form: Preposition + noun with 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “alone”; Notes: Expresses utter solitude.
- אֵ֖לֶּה (ʾelleh) – Root: אלה; Form: Demonstrative plural; Translation: “these”; Notes: Repeated question of identity or origin.
- אֵיפֹ֥ה (ʾeifo) – Root: Possibly from איפה; Form: Interrogative adverb; Translation: “where?”; Notes: Common biblical term for location inquiry.
- הֵֽם (hem) – Root: הם; Form: Independent pronoun masculine plural; Translation: “are they?”; Notes: Concludes the rhetorical question.