לְמַשָּׂ֑א

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 לְמַשָּׂ֑א

   le-ma-SA

   as a burden
2. clause🔊 בֶּן־שְׁמֹנִ֣ים שָׁנָ֖ה אָנֹכִ֣י הַיּ֔וֹם הַאֵדַ֥ע בֵּין־ט֣וֹב לְרָ֗ע אִֽם־יִטְעַ֤ם עַבְדְּךָ֙ אֶת־אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֹכַ֔ל וְאֶת־אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֶשְׁתֶּ֖ה אִֽם־אֶשְׁמַ֤ע ע֙וֹד֙ בְּק֣וֹל שָׁרִ֔ים וְשָׁר֖וֹת וְלָמָּ֣ה יִֽהְיֶ֣ה עַבְדְּךָ֔ ע֖וֹד לְמַשָּׂ֑א

   ben-she-MO-nim sha-NA a-no-KHI ha-YOM ha-e-DA ben-TOV le-RA im-yit-AM av-de-KHA et-a-SHER o-KHAL ve-et-a-SHER esh-TE im-esh-MA OD be-KOL sha-RIM ve-sha-ROT ve-la-MA yih-ye av-de-KHA OD le-ma-SA

   a son of eighty year I today will I know between good and bad whether he will taste your servant that which he eats and that which he drinks whether I will hear still, again in the voice of singers and singing women and why will he be your servant still, further as a burden
3. sentence🔊 בֶּן־שְׁמֹנִ֣ים שָׁנָ֖ה אָנֹכִ֣י הַיּ֔וֹם הַאֵדַ֥ע בֵּין־ט֣וֹב לְרָ֗ע אִֽם־יִטְעַ֤ם עַבְדְּךָ֙ אֶת־אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֹכַ֔ל וְאֶת־אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֶשְׁתֶּ֖ה אִֽם־אֶשְׁמַ֤ע ע֙וֹד֙ בְּק֣וֹל שָׁרִ֔ים וְשָׁר֖וֹת וְלָמָּ֣ה יִֽהְיֶ֣ה עַבְדְּךָ֔ ע֖וֹד לְמַשָּׂ֑א אֶל־אֲדֹנִ֥י הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ׃

   ben-she-MO-nim sha-NA a-no-KHI ha-YOM ha-e-DA ben-TOV le-RA im-yit-AM av-de-KHA et-a-SHER o-KHAL ve-et-a-SHER esh-TE im-esh-MA OD be-KOL sha-RIM ve-sha-ROT ve-la-MA yih-ye av-de-KHA OD le-ma-SA el-a-do-NI ha-ME-lekh

   a son of eighty year I today will I know between good and bad whether he will taste your servant that which he eats and that which he drinks whether I will hear still, again in the voice of singers and singing women and why will he be your servant still, further as a burden to my lord the king

Exegesis

The final clause uses yiḥyêh {יִהְיֶה | yiḥ-yêh} and the noun lə-maśśāʾ {לְמַשָּׂא | lə-maś-sāʾ} to frame the speaker’s existence as a burden, creating a cumulative rhetorical effect that conveys humility and the weight of age before the king.

Root and etymology

נ–שׂ–א🔊 nun–sin–aleph

“to lift”