נַפְשִׁי֮

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 נַפְשִׁי֮

   naf-SHI

   my life or my soul
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 תָּמ֣וֹת נַפְשִׁי֮

   ta-MOT naf-SHI

   let die my life or my soul
3. clause🔊 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שִׁמְשׁ֗וֹן תָּמ֣וֹת נַפְשִׁי֮ עִם־פְּלִשְׁתִּים֒ וַיֵּ֣ט בְּכֹ֔חַ וַיִּפֹּ֤ל הַבַּ֙יִת֙ עַל־הַסְּרָנִ֔ים וְעַל־כָּל־הָעָ֖ם אֲשֶׁר־בּ֑וֹ

   va-yo-MER shim-sHON ta-MOT naf-SHI im-pe-lish-TIM va-YET be-KHO-akh va-yi-POL ha-BA-yit al-ha-se-ra-NIM ve-al-kol-ha-AM a-SHER-BO

   and he said Samson let die my life or my soul with Philistines and he bent or stretched with strength or with power and fell the house upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it
4. sentence🔊 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שִׁמְשׁ֗וֹן תָּמ֣וֹת נַפְשִׁי֮ עִם־פְּלִשְׁתִּים֒ וַיֵּ֣ט בְּכֹ֔חַ וַיִּפֹּ֤ל הַבַּ֙יִת֙ עַל־הַסְּרָנִ֔ים וְעַל־כָּל־הָעָ֖ם אֲשֶׁר־בּ֑וֹ וַיִּהְי֤וּ הַמֵּתִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הֵמִ֣ית בְּמוֹת֔וֹ רַבִּ֕ים מֵאֲשֶׁ֥ר הֵמִ֖ית בְּחַיָּֽיו׃

   va-yo-MER shim-sHON ta-MOT naf-SHI im-pe-lish-TIM va-YET be-KHO-akh va-yi-POL ha-BA-yit al-ha-se-ra-NIM ve-al-kol-ha-AM a-SHER-BO va-yih-YU ha-me-TIM a-SHER he-MIT be-mo-TO ra-BIM me-a-SHER he-MIT be-kha-YAV

   and he said Samson let die my life or my soul with Philistines and he bent or stretched with strength or with power and fell the house upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it and were the dead whom or which he killed in his death many more than he killed in his life

Exegesis

The subject shimshōn {שִׁמְשׁ֗וֹן | shimshōn} utters the jussive clause tamōt {תָּמ֣וֹת | tāmōt} ‘let die’ with the first person singular suffix on nap̄shî {נַפְשִׁי֮ | nap̄šî} ‘my soul’, expressing a wish to share fate with ʿim-pᵊlištîm {עִם־פְּלִשְׁתִּים֒ | ʿim-pᵊlištîm} ‘with the Philistines’.

Root and etymology

Root🔊 נ־פ־שnun-pe-shin

“life-breath”

• 🔊 נְפָשׁוֹתnefašôtsoulsEzekiel 13:18