כִּ֣י אַרְבָּעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֗ה הָלְכ֣וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֮ בַּמִּדְבָּר֒ עַד־תֹּ֨ם כָּל־הַגֹּ֜וי אַנְשֵׁ֤י הַמִּלְחָמָה֙ הַיֹּצְאִ֣ים מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־שָׁמְע֖וּ בְּקֹ֣ול יְהוָ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר נִשְׁבַּ֤ע יְהוָה֙ לָהֶ֔ם לְבִלְתִּ֞י הַרְאֹותָ֣ם אֶת־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֩ נִשְׁבַּ֨ע יְהוָ֤ה לַֽאֲבֹותָם֙ לָ֣תֶת לָ֔נוּ אֶ֛רֶץ זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָֽשׁ׃
For forty years the children of Yisraʾel walked in the wilderness, until all the nation, the men of war who came out of Mitsrayim, perished because they did not obey the voice of YHWH, to whom YHWH had sworn that He would not show them the land that YHWH had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.
Morphology
- כִּ֣י (kī) – Root: כִּי; Form: conjunction; Translation: “for”; Notes: Provides explanation or reason.
- אַרְבָּעִ֣ים (’arba‘īm) – Root: אַרְבַּע; Form: cardinal number, masculine plural; Translation: “forty”; Notes: Refers to the duration of years.
- שָׁנָ֗ה (shānāh) – Root: שָׁנָה; Form: noun, feminine singular absolute; Translation: “years”; Notes: Time duration.
- הָלְכ֣וּ (hāləkhu) – Root: הָלַךְ; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person plural; Translation: “they walked”; Notes: Describes the journey.
- בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֮ (bənei-Yisra’el) – Root: בֵּן + יִשְׂרָאֵל; Form: noun, masculine plural construct; Translation: “the children of Yisraʾel”; Notes: Refers to the Israelites.
- בַּמִּדְבָּר֒ (bammidbār) – Root: מִדְבָּר; Form: noun, masculine singular with preposition and definite article; Translation: “in the wilderness”; Notes: Place of wandering.
- עַד־תֹּ֨ם (‘ad-tōm) – Root: תָּם; Form: preposition + Qal infinitive construct; Translation: “until the completion”; Notes: Indicates the end of a period.
- כָּל־הַגֹּ֜וי (kol-haggōy) – Root: גּוֹי; Form: noun, masculine singular with definite article; Translation: “all the nation”; Notes: Refers to the generation that left Mitsrayim.
- אַנְשֵׁ֤י הַמִּלְחָמָה֙ (’anshē hammilḥāmāh) – Root: אִישׁ + מִלְחָמָה; Form: noun, masculine plural construct + definite article; Translation: “the men of war”; Notes: Military age males.
- הַיֹּצְאִ֣ים (hayyōtze’īm) – Root: יָצָא; Form: Qal participle masculine plural with definite article; Translation: “who came out”; Notes: Describes the exodus.
- מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם (mimmitsrayim) – Root: מִצְרַיִם; Form: preposition + proper noun; Translation: “from Mitsrayim”; Notes: Point of origin.
- אֲשֶׁ֥ר (’asher) – Root: אֲשֶׁר; Form: relative pronoun; Translation: “who/that”; Notes: Introduces relative clause.
- לֹֽא־שָׁמְע֖וּ (lō-shāmə‘u) – Root: שָׁמַע; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person plural + negative particle; Translation: “did not obey”; Notes: Describes disobedience.
- בְּקֹ֣ול (bəqōl) – Root: קוֹל; Form: noun, masculine singular with preposition; Translation: “the voice of”; Notes: Refers to the command of YHWH.
- יְהוָ֑ה (YHWH) – Root: יהוה; Form: proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: Divine name.
- אֲשֶׁ֨ר (’asher) – Root: אֲשֶׁר; Form: relative pronoun; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces relative clause.
- נִשְׁבַּ֤ע (nishba‘) – Root: שָׁבַע; Form: Nifal perfect 3rd person singular; Translation: “swore”; Notes: Refers to YHWH’s oath.
- יְהוָ֙ה (YHWH) – Root: יהוה; Form: proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: Divine name repeated.
- לָהֶ֔ם (lāhem) – Root: הֵם; Form: preposition + pronoun, 3rd person plural; Translation: “to them”; Notes: Refers to the generation.
- לְבִלְתִּ֞י (ləviltī) – Root: בַּל; Form: preposition + infinitive construct; Translation: “not to”; Notes: Negative purpose clause.
- הַרְאֹותָ֣ם (har’ōtām) – Root: רָאָה; Form: Hifil infinitive construct + 3rd person plural suffix; Translation: “show them”; Notes: Causative verb form.
- אֶת־הָאָ֗רֶץ (’et-hā’ārets) – Root: אֶרֶץ; Form: noun, feminine singular with definite article and object marker; Translation: “the land”; Notes: Direct object of the verb.
- אֲשֶׁ֩ר (’asher) – Root: אֲשֶׁר; Form: relative pronoun; Translation: “that”; Notes: Introduces the clause describing the land.
- נִשְׁבַּ֨ע (nishba‘) – Root: שָׁבַע; Form: Nifal perfect 3rd person singular; Translation: “swore”; Notes: Repeated emphasis on YHWH’s oath.
- יְהוָ֤ה (YHWH) – Root: יהוה; Form: proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: Divine name repeated.
- לַֽאֲבֹותָם֙ (la’avōtām) – Root: אָב; Form: noun, masculine plural with preposition; Translation: “to their fathers”; Notes: Refers to the patriarchs.
- לָ֣תֶת (lātet) – Root: נָתַן; Form: Qal infinitive construct; Translation: “to give”; Notes: Purpose of the oath.
- לָ֔נוּ (lānu) – Root: אֲנַחְנוּ; Form: preposition + pronoun 1st person plural; Translation: “to us”; Notes: Refers to the current generation.
- אֶ֛רֶץ (’ārets) – Root: אֶרֶץ; Form: noun, feminine singular absolute; Translation: “land”; Notes: Object of the verb.
- זָבַ֥ת (zāvat) – Root: זָבַת; Form: Qal participle feminine singular; Translation: “flowing”; Notes: Descriptive of the land.
- חָלָ֖ב (ḥālāv) – Root: חָלָב; Form: noun, masculine singular absolute; Translation: “milk”; Notes: Symbol of abundance.
- וּדְבָֽשׁ (udevāsh) – Root: דְּבָשׁ; Form: noun, masculine singular absolute; Translation: “and honey”; Notes: Symbol of sweetness and fertility.