וּנְפָשׁ֖וֹת

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וּנְפָשׁ֖וֹת

   u-ne-fa-SHOT

   and 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 rhetorical question tetzodednah leami unephashot lachenah techayyenah {תְּצוֹדֵ֣דְנָה לְעַמִּ֔י וּנְפָשׁ֖וֹת לָכֶ֥נָה תְחַיֶּֽינָה | tə-ṣō-dēḏ-nāh lə-ʿam-mî u-nə-p̄ā-šōṯ lā-ḵē-nāh tə-ḥay-yē-nāh} contrasts exploiting my people’s lives with preserving lives for yourselves, underscoring the moral indictment.

Root and etymology

n-p-sh🔊 nun–pe–shinn–p–sh

“breath; life”