אַךְ־בְּצֶ֤לֶם יִֽתְהַלֶּךְ־אִ֗ישׁ אַךְ־הֶ֥בֶל יֶהֱמָי֑וּן יִ֝צְבֹּ֗ר וְֽלֹא־יֵדַ֥ע מִי־אֹסְפָֽם׃
Surely in an image a man walks about; surely in vain they are in turmoil; he heaps up and does not know who will gather them.
| # | Hebrew | Transliteration | Literal Gloss | Morph Tag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | אַךְ | ʾakh | “surely” | Particle |
| 2 | בְּצֶלֶם | be-tselem | “in an image” | Prep בְּ + N(ms) |
| 3 | יִתְהַלֶּךְ | yithallekh | “walks about” | Hitpael imperfect 3ms |
| 4 | אִישׁ | ʾish | “man” | N(ms) |
| 5 | אַךְ | ʾakh | “surely” | Particle |
| 6 | הֶבֶל | hevel | “vapor” | N(ms) |
| 7 | יֶהֱמָיוּן | yehemayun | “they are in turmoil” | Qal imperfect 3mp |
| 8 | יִצְבֹּר | yitsbor | “he heaps up” | Qal imperfect 3ms |
| 9 | וְלֹא | ve-lo | “and not” | Conj וְ + neg. particle |
| 10 | יֵדַע | yedaʿ | “he knows” | Qal imperfect 3ms |
| 11 | מִי | mi | “who” | Interrogative |
| 12 | אֹסְפָם | ʾosfam | “will gather them” | Qal participle ms + suff 3mp |
Morphology
- אַךְ (ʾakh) – Root: —; Root Type: Particle (Strong); Form: Particle of emphasis; Translation: “surely”; Notes: Introduces a solemn observation.
- בְּצֶלֶם (be-tselem) – Root: צלם (tselem); Root Type: Strong; Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “in an image”; Notes: Suggests insubstantial or shadow-like existence.
- יִתְהַלֶּךְ (yithallekh) – Root: הלך (halakh); Root Type: Strong; Binyan: Hitpael; Form: Imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “walks about”; Notes: Reflexive or iterative nuance, describing habitual movement.
- אִישׁ (ʾish) – Root: אישׁ (ʾish); Root Type: I-Guttural (א); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “man”; Notes: Generic reference to human being.
- אַךְ (ʾakh) – Root: —; Root Type: Particle (Strong); Form: Particle of emphasis; Translation: “surely”; Notes: Repetition intensifies the statement.
- הֶבֶל (hevel) – Root: הבל (haval); Root Type: I-Guttural (ה); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “vapor”; Notes: Symbol of futility and transience.
- יֶהֱמָיוּן (yehemayun) – Root: המה (hamah); Root Type: III-He; Binyan: Qal; Form: Imperfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they are in turmoil”; Notes: Depicts restless activity or noise.
- יִצְבֹּר (yitsbor) – Root: צבר (tsavar); Root Type: Strong; Binyan: Qal; Form: Imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “he heaps up”; Notes: Refers to accumulating possessions or wealth.
- וְלֹא (ve-lo) – Root: —; Root Type: Particle (Strong); Form: Conjunction וְ + negative particle; Translation: “and not”; Notes: Introduces negation.
- יֵדַע (yedaʿ) – Root: ידע (yadaʿ); Root Type: I-Guttural (י functioning as weak); Binyan: Qal; Form: Imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “he knows”; Notes: Expresses lack of knowledge regarding the future.
- מִי (mi) – Root: —; Root Type: Particle (Strong); Form: Interrogative pronoun; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces indirect question.
- אֹסְפָם (ʾosfam) – Root: אסף (ʾasaf); Root Type: I-Guttural (א); Binyan: Qal; Form: Participle masculine singular + suffix 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “will gather them”; Notes: Refers to the unknown future possessor of accumulated goods.