הַנְּפָשׁוֹת֙

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 הַנְּפָשׁוֹת֙

   han-ne-fa-SHOT

   the souls
2. clause🔊 הַנְּפָשׁוֹת֙ תְּצוֹדֵ֣דְנָה לְעַמִּ֔י וּנְפָשׁ֖וֹת לָכֶ֥נָה תְחַיֶּֽינָה׃

   han-ne-fa-SHOT te-tso-DED-na le-a-MI u-ne-fa-SHOT la-KHE-na te-kha-ye-NA

   the souls will you hunt for my people and souls for yourselves {feminine plural} will you keep alive
3. sentence🔊 וְאָמַרְתָּ֞ כֹּה־אָמַ֣ר אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֗ה הוֹי֩ לִֽמְתַפְּר֨וֹת כְּסָת֜וֹת עַ֣ל כָּל־אַצִּילֵ֣י יָדַ֗י וְעֹשׂ֧וֹת הַמִּסְפָּח֛וֹת עַל־רֹ֥אשׁ כָּל־קוֹמָ֖ה לְצוֹדֵ֣ד נְפָשׁ֑וֹת הַנְּפָשׁוֹת֙ תְּצוֹדֵ֣דְנָה לְעַמִּ֔י וּנְפָשׁ֖וֹת לָכֶ֥נָה תְחַיֶּֽינָה׃

   ve-a-MAR-ta ko-a-MAR a-do-NAI ye-ho-VI HOI lim-te-pe-ROT ke-sa-TOT AL kal-a-tsi-LEI ya-DAI ve-o-SOT ham-mis-pa-KHOT al-ROSH kal-ko-MA le-tso-DED ne-fa-SHOT han-ne-fa-SHOT te-tso-DED-na le-a-MI u-ne-fa-SHOT la-KHE-na te-kha-ye-NA

   and you shall say thus said or says Lord LORD woe to the women sewing coverings or bands upon all joints of my hands and making the coverings or veils upon head every stature to hunt souls the souls will you hunt for my people and souls for yourselves {feminine plural} will you keep alive

Exegesis

The infinitive letzoded nefashot {לְצוֹדֵ֣ד נְפָשׁ֑וֹת | lə-ṣō-dēḏ nə-p̄ā-šōṯ} conveys a predatory metaphor ‘to hunt souls’.

Root and etymology

n-p-sh🔊 nun–pe–shinn–p–sh

“breath; life”