אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־֭יִשְׁמַע לְקֹ֣ול מְלַחֲשִׁ֑ים חֹובֵ֖ר חֲבָרִ֣ים מְחֻכָּֽם׃
which does not hear to the voice of charmers, a binder of spells skillful.
| # | Hebrew | Transliteration | Literal Gloss | Morph Tag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | אֲשֶׁר | ʾasher | “which” | Rel. pronoun |
| 2 | לֹא־ | lo | “not” | Neg |
| 3 | יִשְׁמַע | yishmaʿ | “he hears” | Qal yiqtol 3ms |
| 4 | לְקֹול | le-qol | “to the voice” | Prep לְ + N(ms) |
| 5 | מְלַחֲשִׁים | melaḥashim | “charmers” | Piel ptc. mp |
| 6 | חֹובֵר | ḥover | “one binding” | Qal ptc. ms |
| 7 | חֲבָרִים | ḥavarim | “spells” | N(mp) |
| 8 | מְחֻכָּם | meḥukkam | “skillful” | Pual ptc. ms |
Morphology
- אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) – Root: אשר (ʾ-sh-r); Root Type: I-Guttural (א); Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “Which”; Notes: Introduces a relative clause describing the preceding subject.
- לֹא־ (lo) – Root: לא (lo); Root Type: Strong; Form: Negative particle; Translation: “Not”; Notes: Negates the following verb.
- יִשְׁמַע (yishmaʿ) – Root: שׁמע (sh-m-ʿ); Root Type: III-Guttural; Binyan: Qal; Form: Imperfect (yiqtol) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “He hears”; Notes: Describes ongoing or characteristic refusal to hear.
- לְקֹול (le-qol) – Root: קול (qol); Root Type: Hollow (II-Waw); Form: Preposition לְ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “To the voice”; Notes: Indicates direction or object of hearing.
- מְלַחֲשִׁים (melaḥashim) – Root: לחשׁ (l-ḥ-sh); Root Type: III-Sibilant; Binyan: Piel; Form: Participle masculine plural; Translation: “Charmers”; Notes: Refers to those who whisper incantations. The participle מְלַחֲשִׁים comes from the root לחשׁ, meaning “to whisper” or “to hiss.” It describes the soft, rhythmic chanting used by charmers to influence serpents. Translating it functionally as “charmers” is accurate, but grounding it in the literal “voice of whisperers” highlights the sensory tension in the text: the charmer’s whispered incantations are pitched against the serpent’s deliberate refusal to hear (יַאְטֵם). The imagery becomes a battle of sound—human whisper versus reptilian silence—underscoring the futility of persuasion when the ear is actively stopped.
- חֹובֵר (ḥover) – Root: חבר (ḥ-b-r); Root Type: Strong; Binyan: Qal; Form: Participle masculine singular; Translation: “One binding”; Notes: Describes one who binds or joins spells together.
- חֲבָרִים (ḥavarim) – Root: חבר (ḥ-b-r); Root Type: Strong; Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “Spells”; Notes: Objects of magical binding or incantation. The participle חֹובֵר comes from the root חבר, meaning “to join,” “to bind,” or “to associate.” In a magical or incantatory context, the term refers to binding through words—tying together forces, people, or destinies by means of a spell. The phrase חֹובֵר חֲבָרִים thus literally means “a binder of bindings/spells.” Rendering it this way avoids the vagueness of “enchanter” and points directly to the Hebrew concept of fastening a spiritual or psychological knot. The image is precise: the practitioner is not merely casting vague enchantments but actively binding through spoken incantation, creating a tether that constrains or compels.
- מְחֻכָּם (meḥukkam) – Root: חכם (ḥ-k-m); Root Type: Strong; Binyan: Pual; Form: Participle masculine singular; Translation: “Skillful”; Notes: Indicates one trained or made wise, here referring to expertise in incantation. The participle מְחֻכָּם is a Pual form, the passive of חכם (“wise”), meaning “one who has been made wise” or “a highly trained expert.” The nuance is deliberate: it describes someone whose skill has been cultivated to the highest level. The impact of the verse is that even the most expert charmer, with all training and wisdom, cannot move this serpent. The translation “skillful” conveys that elevated competence, yet the stubbornness of the snake renders such mastery useless. The image underscores futility—human expertise meets deliberate resistance.