כִּ֣י אֶת־רַגְלִ֥ים רַ֨צְתָּה֙ וַיַּלְא֔וּךָ וְאֵ֥יךְ תְּתַֽחֲרֶ֖ה אֶת־הַסּוּסִ֑ים וּבְאֶ֤רֶץ שָׁלֹום֙ אַתָּ֣ה בֹוטֵ֔חַ וְאֵ֥יךְ תַּעֲשֶׂ֖ה בִּגְאֹ֥ון הַיַּרְדֵּֽן׃
For if you have run with footmen and they have wearied you, then how will you compete with horses? And in a land of peace you are trusting, then how will you do in the thicket of the Yarden?
Morphology
- כִּ֣י (ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “For”; Notes: Introduces an explanatory or conditional clause.
- אֶת־רַגְלִים (et-raglim) – Root: רגל; Form: Direct object marker + noun masculine plural; Translation: “footmen”; Notes: Refers metaphorically to human-level challenges.
- רַ֨צְתָּה (ratsta) – Root: רץ; Form: Qal perfect 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “you have run”; Notes: Indicates past effort or exertion.
- וַיַּלְא֔וּךָ (va-yalʾukha) – Root: לאה; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural + 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “and they have wearied you”; Notes: Emphasizes that even lesser challenges caused fatigue.
- וְאֵ֥יךְ (veʾeikh) – Root: איך; Form: Interrogative adverb with conjunction; Translation: “and how”; Notes: Introduces a rhetorical question expressing greater difficulty.
- תְּתַֽחֲרֶה (tetakḥareh) – Root: חרה; Form: Hithpael imperfect 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “will you compete” / “will you contend”; Notes: Reflexive/reciprocal nuance, indicating direct engagement.
- אֶת־הַסּוּסִים (et-ha-susim) – Root: סוס; Form: Direct object marker + definite noun masculine plural; Translation: “with the horses”; Notes: Symbolizes greater, more intense trials or dangers.
- וּבְאֶ֤רֶץ (u-veʾerets) – Root: ארץ; Form: Conjunction + preposition + noun feminine singular; Translation: “and in a land”; Notes: Introduces the setting of present security.
- שָׁלֹום (shalom) – Root: שלם; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “peace”; Notes: Represents current peaceful conditions.
- אַתָּ֣ה (attah) – Root: אתה; Form: Independent personal pronoun 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “you”; Notes: Subject of the clause; emphatic placement.
- בֹוטֵחַ (boteaḥ) – Root: בטח; Form: Qal active participle masculine singular; Translation: “are trusting”; Notes: Indicates a state of ease or reliance.
- וְאֵ֥יךְ (veʾeikh) – Root: איך; Form: Interrogative adverb with conjunction; Translation: “and how”; Notes: Parallels the earlier clause, stressing escalating danger.
- תַּעֲשֶׂה (taʿaseh) – Root: עשׂה; Form: Qal imperfect 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “will you do”; Notes: Open-ended verb indicating response or action in the face of danger.
- בִּגְאֹון (bigʾon) – Root: גאה; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “in the thicket” / “pride” (metaphorical terrain); Notes: Possibly a poetic expression for the dense, wild region by the Yarden river.
- הַיַּרְדֵּן (ha-yarden) – Root: ירד; Form: Definite proper noun masculine singular; Translation: “the Yarden”; Notes: Refers to the Jordan River, often associated with challenging geography or symbolic trials.