וַֽיִּהְי֕וּ לְנַסֹּ֥ות בָּ֖ם אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל לָדַ֗עַת הֲיִשְׁמְעוּ֙ אֶת־מִצְוֹ֣ת יְהוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה אֶת־אֲבֹותָ֖ם בְּיַד־מֹשֶֽׁה׃
And they were to test Yisraʾel, to know whether they would obey the commandments of YHWH, which He commanded their fathers by the hand of Moshe.
Morphology
- וַֽיִּהְי֕וּ (vayyihyu) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (sequential imperfect) 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “And they were”; Notes: Introduces the purpose of their existence.
- לְנַסֹּ֥ות (le-nassot) – Root: נסה (nasah); Form: Piel infinitive construct with preposition; Translation: “to test”; Notes: Expresses the purpose of their presence.
- בָּ֖ם (bam) – Root: בם (bam); Form: Preposition with 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “in them”; Notes: Refers to Yisraʾel as the object of testing.
- אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל (et-Yisraʾel) – Root: ישראל (Yisraʾel); Form: Proper noun with direct object marker; Translation: “Yisraʾel”; Notes: The nation being tested.
- לָדַ֗עַת (ladaʿat) – Root: ידע (yadaʿ); Form: Qal infinitive construct with preposition; Translation: “to know”; Notes: Expresses the goal of testing.
- הֲיִשְׁמְעוּ֙ (ha-yishmeʿu) – Root: שמע (shamaʿ); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural with interrogative prefix; Translation: “whether they would obey”; Notes: Introduces a conditional clause.
- אֶת־מִצְוֹ֣ת (et-mitsvot) – Root: מצוה (mitsvah); Form: Noun, feminine plural construct with direct object marker; Translation: “the commandments of”; Notes: Refers to divine instructions.
- יְהוָ֔ה (YHWH) – Root: יהוה (YHWH); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The source of the commandments.
- אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה (asher-tsivvah) – Root: צוה (tsavah); Form: Piel perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “which He commanded”; Notes: Refers to the divine instructions given.
- אֶת־אֲבֹותָ֖ם (et-avotam) – Root: אב (av); Form: Noun, masculine plural construct with 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “their fathers”; Notes: Refers to the ancestors of Yisraʾel.
- בְּיַד־מֹשֶֽׁה (be-yad Moshe) – Root: יד (yad), משה (Moshe); Form: Noun, feminine singular construct with proper noun; Translation: “by the hand of Moshe”; Notes: Indicates Moshe as the mediator of YHWH’s commandments.