לָמָּה אִירָא בִּימֵי רָע עֲוֹן עֲקֵבַי יְסוּבֵּנִי׃
Why should I fear in days of evil, the iniquity of my heels surrounds me,
| # | Hebrew | Transliteration | Literal Gloss | Morph Tag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | לָמָּה | lammah | “why” | Interrogative |
| 2 | אִירָא | ʾira | “I will fear” | Qal imperfect 1cs |
| 3 | בִּימֵי | bi-mei | “in days of” | Prep בְּ + N(mp) construct |
| 4 | רָע | raʿ | “evil” | Adj(ms) |
| 5 | עֲוֹן | ʿavon | “iniquity” | N(ms) |
| 6 | עֲקֵבַי | ʿaqevai | “my heels” | N(mp) + suff 1cs |
| 7 | יְסוּבֵּנִי | yesubbeni | “will surround me” | Qal imperfect 3ms + suff 1cs |
Morphology
- לָמָּה (lammah) – Root: —; Root Type: Particle (Strong); Form: Interrogative particle; Translation: “why”; Notes: Introduces rhetorical question.
- אִירָא (ʾira) – Root: ירא (y-r-ʾ); Root Type: III-Aleph (weak); Binyan: Qal; Form: Imperfect 1st person common singular; Translation: “I will fear”; Notes: Expression of potential fear.
- בִּימֵי (bi-mei) – Root: יום (y-w-m); Root Type: Hollow (weak); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine plural construct (state: construct); Translation: “in days of”; Notes: Temporal setting.
- רָע (raʿ) – Root: רעע (r-ʿ-ʿ); Root Type: II-Guttural (ע) (weak); Form: Adjective masculine singular; Translation: “evil”; Notes: Describes adversity.
- עֲוֹן (ʿavon) – Root: עון (ʿ-w-n); Root Type: I-Guttural (ע) (weak); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “iniquity”; Notes: Moral wrongdoing.
- עֲקֵבַי (ʿaqevai) – Root: עקב (ʿ-q-b); Root Type: I-Guttural (ע) (weak); Form: Noun masculine plural + suffix 1st person common singular; Translation: “my heels”; Notes: Figurative for what follows or pursues.
- יְסוּבֵּנִי (yesubbeni) – Root: סבב (s-b-b); Root Type: Geminate; Binyan: Qal; Form: Imperfect 3rd person masculine singular + suffix 1st person common singular; Translation: “will surround me”; Notes: Encircling threat.