נְפָשׁוֹת֙

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 נְפָשׁוֹת֙

   ne-fa-SHOT

   souls
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 לְהָמִ֤ית נְפָשׁוֹת֙

   le-ha-MIT ne-fa-SHOT

   to put to death souls
3. clause🔊 וַתְּחַלֶּלְ֨נָה אֹתִ֜י אֶל־עַמִּ֗י בְּשַׁעֲלֵ֣י שְׂעֹרִים֮ וּבִפְת֣וֹתֵי לֶחֶם֒ לְהָמִ֤ית נְפָשׁוֹת֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹֽא־תְמוּתֶ֔נָה וּלְחַיּ֥וֹת נְפָשׁ֖וֹת אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־תִֽחְיֶ֑ינָה

   vat-te-kha-lel-NA o-TI el-am-MI be-sha-a-LE se-o-RIM u-vif-to-TE LE-khem le-ha-MIT ne-fa-SHOT a-SHER lo-te-mu-TE-na u-le-kha-YOT ne-fa-SHOT a-SHER lo-ti-khe-YE-na

   and you profaned me to my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread to put to death souls which not should die and to keep alive souls which not should live
4. sentence🔊 וַתְּחַלֶּלְ֨נָה אֹתִ֜י אֶל־עַמִּ֗י בְּשַׁעֲלֵ֣י שְׂעֹרִים֮ וּבִפְת֣וֹתֵי לֶחֶם֒ לְהָמִ֤ית נְפָשׁוֹת֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹֽא־תְמוּתֶ֔נָה וּלְחַיּ֥וֹת נְפָשׁ֖וֹת אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־תִֽחְיֶ֑ינָה בְּכַ֨זֶּבְכֶ֔ם לְעַמִּ֖י שֹׁמְעֵ֥י כָזָֽב׃

   vat-te-kha-lel-NA o-TI el-am-MI be-sha-a-LE se-o-RIM u-vif-to-TE LE-khem le-ha-MIT ne-fa-SHOT a-SHER lo-te-mu-TE-na u-le-kha-YOT ne-fa-SHOT a-SHER lo-ti-khe-YE-na be-khaz-zev-KHEM le-am-MI sho-me-E kha-ZAV

   and you profaned me to my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread to put to death souls which not should die and to keep alive souls which not should live by your lying to my people listening to a lie

Exegesis

Two infinitive clauses—lǝ-hāmîṯ nǝfāšôṯ {לְהָמִית נְפָשׁוֹת | lə-hā-mît nə-fā-šōṯ} ‘to put to death souls’ and ū-lǝḥayyōṯ nǝfāšôṯ {וּלְחַיּוֹת נְפָשׁוֹת | û-lə-ḥay-yōṯ nə-fā-šōṯ} ‘and to keep alive souls’—underscore the perversion of justice, each followed by a relative clause: ʾă-šer lō-ṯə-mûṯênâ {אֲשֶׁר לֹא־תְמוּתֶנָה | ʾă-šer lō ṯə-mû-ṯe-nāh} ‘which should not die’ and ʾă-šer lō-tiḥyênâ {אֲשֶׁר לֹא־תִֽחְיֶינָה | ʾă-šer lō ṯiḥ-yē-nāh} ‘which should not live.’

Root and etymology

n-p-sh🔊 nun–pe–shinn–p–sh

“breath; life”