בְּשׁוּב֥וֹ

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 בְּשׁוּב֥וֹ

   be-shu-VO

   when he turns back
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 בְּשׁוּב֥וֹ מִדְּרָכָ֖יו

   be-shu-VO mid-de-ra-KHAV

   when he turns back from his ways
3. clause🔊 הֲל֛וֹא בְּשׁוּב֥וֹ מִדְּרָכָ֖יו וְחָיָֽה׃

   ha-LO be-shu-VO mid-de-ra-KHAV ve-kha-YA

   is it not rather when he turns back from his ways and he lives
4. sentence🔊 הֶחָפֹ֤ץ אֶחְפֹּץ֙ מ֣וֹת רָשָׁ֔ע נְאֻ֖ם אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֑ה הֲל֛וֹא בְּשׁוּב֥וֹ מִדְּרָכָ֖יו וְחָיָֽה׃

   he-KHA-fets e-KH-pots MOT ra-SHA ne-UM a-do-NAI ye-ho-VI ha-LO be-shu-VO mid-de-ra-KHAV ve-kha-YA

   Do I take pleasure I take pleasure in the death of a wicked person declaration of the Lord GOD is it not rather when he turns back from his ways and he lives

Exegesis

The construct beshuvo middrakhav {בְּשׁוּבוֹ מִדְּרָכָיו | bə-šū-ḇō mid-rā-ḵāw} forms a conditional phrase ‘if he turns from his ways’, and vechayah {וְחָיָה | wə-ḥā-yā} ‘and live’ states the intended outcome of restoration. The Hebrew balances a rhetorical question with a hopeful resolution, and the English retains this parallelism.

Root and etymology

š-w-b🔊 ש־ו־בshin–waw–bet

“to return; to turn back”