וּשְׁמֵ֥י

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וּשְׁמֵ֥י

   u-she-ME

   and the heavens of
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 וּשְׁמֵ֥י הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם

   u-she-ME ha-sha-MA-yim

   and the heavens of the heavens
3. clause🔊 וּמִ֤י יַעֲצָ֨ר־כֹּ֙חַ֙ לִבְנֽוֹת־ל֣וֹ בַ֔יִת כִּ֧י הַשָּׁמַ֛יִם וּשְׁמֵ֥י הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם לֹ֣א יְכַלְכְּלֻ֑הוּ

   u-MI ya-a-TSAR-KO-akh li-ve-NOT-LO va-YIT KI ha-sha-MA-yim u-she-ME ha-sha-MA-yim LO ye-khal-ke-LU-hu

   and who has strength to restrain or contain to build for him a house for the heavens and the heavens of the heavens not can contain him
4. sentence🔊 וּמִ֤י יַעֲצָ֨ר־כֹּ֙חַ֙ לִבְנֽוֹת־ל֣וֹ בַ֔יִת כִּ֧י הַשָּׁמַ֛יִם וּשְׁמֵ֥י הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם לֹ֣א יְכַלְכְּלֻ֑הוּ וּמִ֤י אֲנִי֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶבְנֶה־לּ֣וֹ בַ֔יִת כִּ֖י אִם־לְהַקְטִ֥יר לְפָנָֽיו׃

   u-MI ya-a-TSAR-KO-akh li-ve-NOT-LO va-YIT KI ha-sha-MA-yim u-she-ME ha-sha-MA-yim LO ye-khal-ke-LU-hu u-MI a-NI a-SHER e-VE-ne-LO va-YIT KI im-le-hak-TIR le-fa-NAV

   and who has strength to restrain or contain to build for him a house for the heavens and the heavens of the heavens not can contain him and who am I that I should build for him a house except that if only to make smoke or burn incense before him

Exegesis

The concessive clause introduced by ki {כִּי | kî} “since” leads into the superlative idiom ha-shamayim u-shmei ha-shamayim {הַשָּׁמַיִם וּשְׁמֵי הַשָּׁמָיִם | ha·šā·mā·yim ū·šə·mê ha·šā·mā·yim} “the heavens and the heavens of the heavens,” a Hebrew way of saying “the highest heavens.”