וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ לֹ֣א נִשְׁתֶּה־יָּ֑יִן כִּי֩ יֹונָדָ֨ב בֶּן־רֵכָ֜ב אָבִ֗ינוּ צִוָּ֤ה עָלֵ֨ינוּ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לֹ֧א תִשְׁתּוּ־יַ֛יִן אַתֶּ֥ם וּבְנֵיכֶ֖ם עַד־עֹולָֽם׃
And they said, “We will not drink wine, for Yonadav son of Rekhav our father commanded us, saying, ‘You shall not drink wine, you or your sons, forever.
Morphology
- וַיֹּאמְרוּ (va-yomərū) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “And they said”; Notes: Marks the response of the Reḵavites in direct speech.
- לֹא (lo) – Root: לא; Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Denies the action of drinking wine.
- נִשְׁתֶּה (nishteh) – Root: שתה; Form: Qal imperfect 1st person common plural; Translation: “we will drink”; Notes: With “לא” becomes “we will not drink.”
- יָּיִן (yayin) – Root: יין; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “wine”; Notes: Direct object of the negated verb “drink.”
- כִּי (ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for”; Notes: Introduces causal explanation for the refusal.
- יֹונָדָב (Yōnāḏāḇ) – Root: יונדב; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yonadav”; Notes: Ancestor and lawgiver of the Reḵavite clan.
- בֶּן־רֵכָב (ben-Rēḵāḇ) – Root: בן + רכב; Form: Construct phrase; Translation: “son of Reḵav”; Notes: Identifies Yonadav’s lineage.
- אָבִינוּ (ʾāvīnū) – Root: אב; Form: Noun masculine singular with 1st person plural suffix; Translation: “our father”; Notes: Shows reverence and familial authority.
- צִוָּה (ṣivvāh) – Root: צוה; Form: Piel perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “commanded”; Notes: Emphasizes the formal and authoritative instruction.
- עָלֵינוּ (ʿālēnū) – Root: על; Form: Preposition + 1st person plural suffix; Translation: “upon us”; Notes: Indicates those who are the recipients of the command.
- לֵאמֹר (lēʾmōr) – Root: אמר; Form: Infinitive construct; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Introduces the content of the command.
- לֹא תִשְׁתּוּ (lo tishtū) – Root: שתה; Form: Qal imperfect 2nd person masculine plural with negative; Translation: “you shall not drink”; Notes: Prohibition directed at the descendants.
- יַיִן (yayin) – Root: יין; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “wine”; Notes: Object of the negative command.
- אַתֶּם (ʾattem) – Root: אתם; Form: Independent pronoun, 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “you”; Notes: Emphatic subject of the command.
- וּבְנֵיכֶם (ū-venēkhem) – Root: בן; Form: Conjunction + construct noun + 2nd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “and your sons”; Notes: Extends the command to future generations.
- עַד־עֹולָם (ʿad-ʿōlām) – Root: עולם; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “forever”; Notes: Denotes perpetual observance without end.