אֶת־נְפָשִׁ֖ים

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 אֶת־נְפָשִׁ֖ים

   et-ne-fa-SHIM

   souls
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 מְצֹדְד֥וֹת אֶת־נְפָשִׁ֖ים

   me-tso-de-DOT et-ne-fa-SHIM

   hunting souls
3. clause🔊 וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי֙ אֶת־הַנְּפָשׁ֔וֹת אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַתֶּ֛ם מְצֹדְד֥וֹת אֶת־נְפָשִׁ֖ים לְפֹרְחֹֽת׃

   ve-shi-la-KHET-ti et-ha-ne-fa-SHOT a-SHER a-TEM me-tso-de-DOT et-ne-fa-SHIM le-for-KHOT

   and I will send away {the} souls which you {masculine plural} hunting souls to fly
4. sentence🔊 לָכֵ֞ן כֹּה־אָמַ֣ר אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֗ה הִנְנִ֤י אֶל־כִּסְּתוֹתֵיכֶ֙נָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אַ֠תֵּנָה מְצֹדְד֨וֹת שָׁ֤ם אֶת־הַנְּפָשׁוֹת֙ לְפֹ֣רְח֔וֹת וְקָרַעְתִּ֣י אֹתָ֔ם מֵעַ֖ל זְרוֹעֹֽתֵיכֶ֑ם וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי֙ אֶת־הַנְּפָשׁ֔וֹת אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַתֶּ֛ם מְצֹדְד֥וֹת אֶת־נְפָשִׁ֖ים לְפֹרְחֹֽת׃

   la-KHEN ko-a-MAR a-do-NAI ye-ho-VAH hin-NI el-kis-to-te-khe-NA a-SHER a-TE-na me-tso-de-DOT SHAM et-ha-ne-fa-SHOT le-for-KHOT ve-ka-RA-te o-TAM me-AL ze-ro-o-te-khem ve-shi-la-KHET-ti et-ha-ne-fa-SHOT a-SHER a-TEM me-tso-de-DOT et-ne-fa-SHIM le-for-KHOT

   therefore thus said Lord LORD behold, I against your bands which you {feminine plural} use hunting there {the} souls to fly and I will tear them from upon your arms and I will send away {the} souls which you {masculine plural} hunting souls to fly

Exegesis

The Piel participle məṣōḏḏōṯ {מְצֹדְד֨וֹת | mə-ṣō-ḏ-ḏōṯ} ‘setting traps’ with ʼet {אֶת | ʼet} marks “the souls” (hannəfāšōt) as victims of this promised deliverance, expressed by the infinitive ləpōrāḥōṯ {לְפֹ֣רְח֔וֹת | lə-pō-rā-ḥōṯ} ‘to fly.’ The parallel verbs wəqāraʿtî…wəšillāḥtî ‘and I will tear…I will send’ emphasize the LORD’s decisive removal of these instruments and liberation of those entrapped. English structure preserves this judicial-corrective sequence.

Root and etymology

n-p-sh🔊 נ־פ־ש

“soul, life, person”

• 🔊 נְשָׁמָהneshamabreath, spiritGenesis 2:7