וַאֲנִ֣י אָמַ֔רְתִּי אַךְ־דַּלִּ֖ים הֵ֑ם נֹואֲל֕וּ כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יָדְעוּ֙ דֶּ֣רֶךְ יְהוָ֔ה מִשְׁפַּ֖ט אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם׃
And I said, “Surely they are poor; they have acted foolishly, for they have not known the way of YHWH, the judgment of their God.
Morphology
- וַאֲנִ֣י (va-ʾani) – Root: אני (ʾani); Form: Conjunction + independent pronoun 1st person singular; Translation: “And I”; Notes: Marks a personal reflection or response.
- אָמַ֔רְתִּי (amarti) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal perfect 1st person common singular; Translation: “I said”; Notes: Introduces the prophet’s thought or reasoning.
- אַךְ־דַּלִּ֖ים (ʾakh-dallim) – Root: דלה (dal); Form: Adverb + adjective masculine plural; Translation: “Surely they are poor”; Notes: אך “ʾakh” expresses limitation or emphasis; refers to material or moral poverty.
- הֵ֑ם (hem) – Root: הם (hem); Form: Independent pronoun 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they”; Notes: Subject pronoun clarifying who is being described.
- נֹואֲל֕וּ (noʾalu) – Root: נאל (naʾal); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they have acted foolishly”; Notes: Describes ignorance or moral senselessness.
- כִּ֣י (ki) – Root: כי (ki); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for”; Notes: Introduces the reason for the preceding statement.
- לֹ֤א (lo) – Root: לא (lo); Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates the following verb.
- יָדְעוּ֙ (yadʿu) – Root: ידע (yadaʿ); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they have known”; Notes: Implies relational or experiential knowledge.
- דֶּ֣רֶךְ (derekh) – Root: דרך (derekh); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “way”; Notes: Refers to lifestyle, conduct, or divine path.
- יְהוָ֔ה (YHWH) – Root: הוה (hawah); Form: Proper divine name; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The personal, covenantal name of the God of Yisraʾel.
- מִשְׁפַּ֖ט (mishpat) – Root: שׁפט (shafat); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “judgment”; Notes: Refers to justice, legal order, or moral rulings.
- אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם (ʾeloheihem) – Root: אלה (ʾeloah); Form: Noun masculine plural in construct + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “their God”; Notes: Emphasizes relationship with the deity who demands justice.