צַדִּ֤יק אַתָּה֙ יְהוָ֔ה כִּ֥י אָרִ֖יב אֵלֶ֑יךָ אַ֤ךְ מִשְׁפָּטִים֙ אֲדַבֵּ֣ר אֹותָ֔ךְ מַדּ֗וּעַ דֶּ֤רֶךְ רְשָׁעִים֙ צָלֵ֔חָה שָׁל֖וּ כָּל־בֹּ֥גְדֵי בָֽגֶד׃
Righteous are You, YHWH, when I contend with You; yet of judgments I will speak with You: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? They are at ease, all who deal treacherously.
Morphology
- צַדִּ֤יק (tsaddiq) – Root: צדק; Form: Adjective masculine singular absolute; Translation: “righteous”; Notes: Declares the moral character of YHWH before lodging a complaint.
- אַתָּה (attah) – Root: אתה; Form: Independent personal pronoun 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “You”; Notes: Emphatic subject in parallel with “righteous.”
- יְהוָ֔ה (YHWH) – Root: היה; Form: Proper divine name; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: Directly addresses the LORD.
- כִּ֥י (ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “when” / “for”; Notes: Introduces a cause or condition.
- אָרִ֖יב (ʾariv) – Root: ריב; Form: Qal imperfect 1st person masculine singular; Translation: “I contend”; Notes: Expresses present or near-future disputation with YHWH.
- אֵלֶ֑יךָ (ʾeilekha) – Root: אל; Form: Preposition with 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “with You”; Notes: Denotes direction of the complaint.
- אַ֤ךְ (ʾakh) – Root: אך; Form: Adversative particle; Translation: “yet” / “nevertheless”; Notes: Emphasizes contrast: although God is righteous, the speaker dares to question.
- מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim) – Root: שפט; Form: Noun masculine plural absolute; Translation: “judgments”; Notes: Refers to legal or moral decisions or matters.
- אֲדַבֵּ֣ר (ʾadabber) – Root: דבר; Form: Piel imperfect 1st person masculine singular; Translation: “I will speak”; Notes: Piel intensifies the action of addressing YHWH in serious legal language.
- אֹותָךְ (ʾotak) – Root: את; Form: Direct object marker with 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “with You”; Notes: Stresses the subject of discourse—YHWH Himself.
- מַדּ֗וּעַ (madduaʿ) – Root: ידע; Form: Interrogative adverb; Translation: “Why?”; Notes: Introduces the core question of the verse.
- דֶּ֤רֶךְ (derekh) – Root: דרך; Form: Noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “the way”; Notes: The path or conduct of the wicked.
- רְשָׁעִים (reshaʿim) – Root: רשע; Form: Noun masculine plural absolute; Translation: “wicked”; Notes: Plural subject of the verb “prosper.”
- צָלֵחָה (tsaleḥah) – Root: צלח; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “has prospered”; Notes: Verb agrees with feminine noun “way.”
- שָׁלוּ (shalu) – Root: שׁלה; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they are at ease”; Notes: Describes the comfortable state of the wicked.
- כָּל־ (kol) – Root: כל; Form: Noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “all”; Notes: Governs the following plural construct phrase.
- בֹּגְדֵי (bogdei) – Root: בגד; Form: Qal active participle masculine plural construct; Translation: “those who deal treacherously”; Notes: Acts as a descriptor of their identity.
- בָגֶד (vaged) – Root: בגד; Form: Noun masculine singular absolute; Translation: “treachery”; Notes: Object of the construct phrase “traitors of treachery”—an emphatic form.