שִׁמְע֕וּ אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֖י הַבְּרִ֣ית הַזֹּ֑את וְדִבַּרְתָּם֙ אֶל־אִ֣ישׁ יְהוּדָ֔ה וְעַל־יֹשְׁבֵ֖י יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃
“Hear the words of this covenant, and you shall speak them to a man of Yehuda and to the inhabitants of Yerushalayim.
Morphology
- שִׁמְעוּ (shimʿu) – Root: שׁמע; Form: Qal imperative masculine plural; Translation: “Hear”; Notes: A direct command addressed to the people, calling for attentive listening.
- אֶת־דִּבְרֵי (ʾet-divrei) – Root: דבר; Form: Definite direct object marker + construct plural masculine noun; Translation: “the words of”; Notes: Introduces the object of the verb “hear”; construct chain links to the next word.
- הַבְּרִית (ha-berit) – Root: ברת; Form: Definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “the covenant”; Notes: A solemn agreement, often referring to YHWH’s covenant with Yisraʾel.
- הַזֹּאת (ha-zot) – Root: זהה; Form: Demonstrative pronoun feminine singular; Translation: “this”; Notes: Modifies “covenant,” referring to a specific known agreement.
- וְדִבַּרְתָּם (ve-dibbartaʾm) – Root: דבר; Form: Piel perfect 2nd person masculine singular + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “and you shall speak them”; Notes: Piel intensifies the action of communicating; suffix refers to “the words.”
- אֶל־אִישׁ (ʾel-ʾish) – Root: אישׁ; Form: Preposition + indefinite noun masculine singular; Translation: “to a man”; Notes: Generalized address to individuals of Yehudah.
- יְהוּדָה (Yehudah) – Root: יהודה; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yehudah”; Notes: Refers to the southern kingdom or tribe of Yehudah.
- וְעַל־יֹשְׁבֵי (ve-ʿal-yoshvei) – Root: ישׁב; Form: Conjunction + preposition + participle masculine plural construct; Translation: “and to the inhabitants of”; Notes: Participle form indicating those who dwell in a place.
- יְרוּשָׁלִָם (Yerushalayim) – Root: ירושלם; Form: Proper noun feminine; Translation: “Yerushalayim”; Notes: Refers to the capital city of Yisraʾel and Yehudah.