אֵ֤י לָזֹאת֙ אַסְלֹחַ־לָ֔ךְ בָּנַ֣יִךְ עֲזָב֔וּנִי וַיִּשָּׁבְע֖וּ בְּלֹ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים וָאַשְׂבִּ֤עַ אֹותָם֙ וַיִּנְאָ֔פוּ וּבֵ֥ית זֹונָ֖ה יִתְגֹּדָֽדוּ׃
How shall I pardon you for this? Your sons have forsaken Me and have sworn by what is not God. Though I satisfied them, they committed adultery and thronged to the house of a prostitute.
Morphology
- אֵ֤י (ʾei) – Root: אי (ʾei); Form: Interrogative particle; Translation: “How?”; Notes: Expresses incredulity or rhetorical impossibility.
- לָזֹאת (la-zot) – Root: זה (zeh); Form: Preposition + demonstrative feminine singular; Translation: “for this”; Notes: Refers to the previously described wickedness.
- אַסְלֹחַ־לָ֔ךְ (aslōaḥ-lakh) – Root: סלח (salaḥ); Form: Qal imperfect 1st person common singular + 2nd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “shall I forgive you”; Notes: Rhetorical question indicating denial of pardon.
- בָּנַ֣יִךְ (banayikh) – Root: בן (ben); Form: Noun masculine plural with 2nd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “your sons”; Notes: Refers to the people as offspring of the addressed nation.
- עֲזָב֔וּנִי (ʿazavuni) – Root: עזב (ʿazav); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural + 1st person common singular suffix; Translation: “have forsaken Me”; Notes: Speaks of abandonment of YHWH.
- וַיִּשָּׁבְע֖וּ (vayyishaveʿu) – Root: שבע (shavaʿ); Form: Nifal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “and they swore”; Notes: Nifal used here for oath-taking, often in legal or religious contexts.
- בְּלֹ֣א (be-lo) – Root: לא (lo); Form: Preposition + negative particle; Translation: “by what is not”; Notes: Used here to negate the object of the oath.
- אֱלֹהִ֑ים (ʾelohim) – Root: אלה (ʾeloah); Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “God”; Notes: Refers to the true God, and the contrast here is swearing by falsehood or idols.
- וָאַשְׂבִּ֤עַ (va-ʾashbiʿa) – Root: שבע (savaʿ); Form: Hifil imperfect 1st person common singular with vav-consecutive; Translation: “and I satisfied [them]”; Notes: Hifil stem denotes causation: “I caused them to be full.”
- אֹותָם֙ (otam) – Root: את (ʾet); Form: Direct object marker + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to Yisraʾel’s people.
- וַיִּנְאָ֔פוּ (vayyinaʾafu) – Root: נאף (naʾaf); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “and they committed adultery”; Notes: Often used metaphorically for idolatry and unfaithfulness to YHWH.
- וּבֵ֥ית (u-veit) – Root: בית (bayit); Form: Conjunction + noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “and the house of”; Notes: Construct form introducing the location.
- זֹונָ֖ה (zonah) – Root: זנה (zanah); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “a prostitute”; Notes: Literal or metaphorical reference to unfaithful worship.
- יִתְגֹּדָֽדוּ (yitgodadu) – Root: גדד (gadad); Form: Hitpael imperfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they throng” or “gather together”; Notes: Reflexive, indicates assembling for immoral purposes.