וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אָבִ֗יהָ אָמֹ֤ר אָמַ֨רְתִּי֙ כִּי־שָׂנֹ֣א שְׂנֵאתָ֔הּ וָאֶתְּנֶ֖נָּה לְמֵרֵעֶ֑ךָ הֲלֹ֨א אֲחֹתָ֤הּ הַקְּטַנָּה֙ טֹובָ֣ה מִמֶּ֔נָּה תְּהִי־נָ֥א לְךָ֖ תַּחְתֶּֽיהָ׃
And her father said, “I surely thought that you utterly hated her, so I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister better than her? Let her be yours instead.”
Morphology
- וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (vayomer) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And he said”; Notes: Introduces direct speech.
- אָבִ֗יהָ (aviha) – Root: אב (ʾav); Form: Noun, masculine singular with 3rd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “Her father”; Notes: Subject of the speech.
- אָמֹ֤ר אָמַ֨רְתִּי֙ (amor amarti) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal infinitive absolute + Qal perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I surely thought”; Notes: Emphasizes certainty.
- כִּי־שָׂנֹ֣א שְׂנֵאתָ֔הּ (ki-sano s’neitah) – Root: שנא (sane); Form: Qal perfect 2nd person masculine singular + 3rd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “that you utterly hated her”; Notes: Repetition of the root intensifies meaning.
- וָאֶתְּנֶ֖נָּה (va’ettennah) – Root: נתן (natan); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 1st person singular + 3rd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “so I gave her”; Notes: Indicates completed action.
- לְמֵרֵעֶ֑ךָ (le-merei’ekha) – Root: רֵעַ (re’a); Form: Noun, masculine singular construct with 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “to your companion”; Notes: Refers to another man.
- הֲלֹ֨א (halo) – Root: לא (lo); Form: Interrogative particle; Translation: “Is not”; Notes: Introduces a rhetorical question.
- אֲחֹתָ֤הּ (aḥotah) – Root: אחות (aḥot); Form: Noun, feminine singular construct with 3rd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “her sister”; Notes: Refers to the younger sibling.
- הַקְּטַנָּה֙ (ha-qetannah) – Root: קטן (qaton); Form: Adjective, feminine singular with definite article; Translation: “the younger”; Notes: Indicates comparative status.
- טֹובָ֣ה (tovah) – Root: טוב (tov); Form: Adjective, feminine singular; Translation: “better”; Notes: Used in a comparative sense.
- מִמֶּ֔נָּה (mimmenah) – Root: מן (min); Form: Preposition with 3rd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “than her”; Notes: Marks comparison.
- תְּהִי־נָ֥א (tehi-na) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person feminine singular + particle; Translation: “Let her be”; Notes: Expresses a suggestion.
- לְךָ֖ (lekha) – Root: לך (l’kha); Form: Preposition with 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “for you”; Notes: Indicates possession.
- תַּחְתֶּֽיהָ (taḥteha) – Root: תחת (taḥat); Form: Preposition with 3rd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “instead of her”; Notes: Indicates substitution.