וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֖ם עַל־מָ֑ה עַ֡ל כִּי־יְהוָה֩ הֵעִ֨יד בֵּינְךָ֜ וּבֵ֣ין אֵ֣שֶׁת נְעוּרֶ֗יךָ אֲשֶׁ֤ר אַתָּה֙ בָּגַ֣דְתָּה בָּ֔הּ וְהִ֥יא חֲבֶרְתְּךָ֖ וְאֵ֥שֶׁת בְּרִיתֶֽךָ׃
And you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because YHWH has testified between you and between the wife of your youth, whom you have dealt treacherously against her, and she is your companion and the wife of your covenant.
Morphology
- וַאֲמַרְתֶּם (va-ʾamartem) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Conjunction וַ + Qal perfect 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “And you say”; Notes: Conversive perfect functioning as present or ongoing response.
- עַל־ (ʿal) – Root: —; Form: Preposition עַל; Translation: “for” or “upon”; Notes: Introduces the question.
- מָה (mah) – Root: מה; Form: Interrogative pronoun; Translation: “what” or “why”; Notes: Expresses inquiry.
- עַל (ʿal) – Root: —; Form: Preposition עַל; Translation: “because of”; Notes: Introduces explanation.
- כִּי־ (ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “because”; Notes: Gives reason.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) – Root: הוה (havah); Form: Proper noun masculine singular; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: Covenant name of the God of Yisraʾel.
- הֵעִיד (heʿid) – Root: עוד (ʿud); Form: Hifil perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “has testified”; Notes: Causative stem indicating bearing witness.
- בֵּינְךָ (beinekha) – Root: בין (bein); Form: Noun masculine singular construct + suffix 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “between you”; Notes: Marks relational separation.
- וּבֵין (u-vein) – Root: בין (bein); Form: Conjunction וּ + noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “and between”; Notes: Parallel structure.
- אֵשֶׁת (ʾeshet) – Root: אשה (ʾishah); Form: Noun feminine singular construct; Translation: “wife of”; Notes: In construct with the following noun.
- נְעוּרֶיךָ (neʿurekha) – Root: נער (naʿar); Form: Noun masculine plural construct + suffix 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “your youth”; Notes: Refers to early life period.
- אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) – Root: אשר; Form: Relative particle; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Introduces relative clause.
- אַתָּה (attah) – Root: —; Form: Independent personal pronoun 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “you”; Notes: Emphatic subject.
- בָּגַדְתָּה (bagadta) – Root: בגד (bagad); Form: Qal perfect 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “you have dealt treacherously”; Notes: Expresses covenant unfaithfulness.
- בָּהּ (bah) – Root: —; Form: Preposition בְּ + suffix 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “against her”; Notes: Marks object of treachery.
- וְהִיא (ve-hi) – Root: —; Form: Conjunction וְ + independent pronoun 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “and she”; Notes: Emphasizes her status.
- חֲבֶרְתְּךָ (ḥavertekha) – Root: חבר (ḥavar); Form: Noun feminine singular construct + suffix 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “your companion”; Notes: Denotes intimate partnership.
- וְאֵשֶׁת (ve-ʾeshet) – Root: אשה (ʾishah); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun feminine singular construct; Translation: “and wife of”; Notes: Continues descriptive identification.
- בְּרִיתֶךָ (beritekha) – Root: ברית (berit); Form: Noun feminine singular construct + suffix 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “your covenant”; Notes: Marriage described as covenantal bond.