שִׁמְע֥וּ אֵלַ֛י רֹ֥דְפֵי צֶ֖דֶק מְבַקְשֵׁ֣י יְהוָ֑ה הַבִּ֨יטוּ֙ אֶל־צ֣וּר חֻצַּבְתֶּ֔ם וְאֶל־מַקֶּ֥בֶת בֹּ֖ור נֻקַּרְתֶּֽם׃
“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, seekers of YHWH; look to the rock from which you were hewn and to the excavation of the pit from which you were dug.
Morphology
- שִׁמְע֥וּ (shimʿu) – Root: שמע (shamaʿ); Form: Qal imperative masculine plural; Translation: “Listen”; Notes: Command directed to a plural audience.
- אֵלַ֛י (elai) – Root: אל (ʾel); Form: Preposition + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Indicates the speaker as the object of address.
- רֹ֥דְפֵי (rodfei) – Root: רדף (radaf); Form: Qal participle masculine plural construct; Translation: “those who pursue”; Notes: Construct form modifies the following noun.
- צֶ֖דֶק (tsedeq) – Root: צדק (tsedeq); Form: Noun masculine singular absolute; Translation: “righteousness”; Notes: Object of pursuit, moral and covenantal justice.
- מְבַקְשֵׁ֣י (mevaqshei) – Root: בקש (baqash); Form: Piel participle masculine plural construct; Translation: “seekers of”; Notes: Indicates intensive or intentional searching.
- יְהוָ֑ה (YHWH) – Root: הוה or יהוה; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: Divine name, Tetragrammaton.
- הַבִּ֨יטוּ (habbitu) – Root: נבט (navat); Form: Hifil imperative masculine plural; Translation: “look”; Notes: Causative imperative; calls attention to consider something deeply.
- אֶל־צ֣וּר (el-tsur) – Root: צור (tsur); Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “to the rock”; Notes: Symbolic image of origin or foundation.
- חֻצַּבְתֶּ֔ם (ḥutstavtem) – Root: חצב (ḥatsav); Form: Qal perfect 2nd person masculine plural passive; Translation: “you were hewn”; Notes: Indicates being carved or cut out, passive voice.
- וְאֶל־ (ve-el) – Root: אל (ʾel); Form: Conjunction + preposition; Translation: “and to”; Notes: Coordinates second object of the command “look.”
- מַקֶּ֥בֶת (maqqevet) – Root: נקב (naqav); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “excavation”; Notes: Possibly denotes a hollowed place or quarry site.
- בֹּ֖ור (bor) – Root: בור (bor); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “pit”; Notes: Often used of cisterns, dungeons, or symbolic low places.
- נֻקַּרְתֶּֽם (nuqqartem) – Root: נקר (naqqar); Form: Puʿal perfect 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “you were dug”; Notes: Intensive passive; refers to being extracted or hollowed out.