אוֹתִ֖י

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 אוֹתִ֖י

   o-TI

   me
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 מְאַסֵּ֥ף אוֹתִ֖י

   me-a-SEF o-TI

   gathering in me
3. clause🔊 וְאֶת־בֵּ֤ית יְהוָה֙ אֲנִ֣י הֹלֵ֔ךְ וְאֵ֣ין אִ֔ישׁ מְאַסֵּ֥ף אוֹתִ֖י הַבָּֽיְתָה׃

   ve-et-BEIT Ye-ho-VAH a-NI ho-LEKH ve-EIN ISH me-a-SEF o-TI hab-BAI-ta

   and the house of the LORD I am going and there is not a man gathering in me into the house
4. sentence🔊 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלָ֗יו עֹבְרִ֨ים אֲנַ֜חְנוּ מִבֵּֽית־לֶ֣חֶם יְהוּדָה֮ עַד־יַרְכְּתֵ֣י הַר־אֶפְרַיִם֒ מִשָּׁ֣ם אָנֹ֔כִי וָאֵלֵ֕ךְ עַד־בֵּ֥ית לֶ֖חֶם יְהוּדָ֑ה וְאֶת־בֵּ֤ית יְהוָה֙ אֲנִ֣י הֹלֵ֔ךְ וְאֵ֣ין אִ֔ישׁ מְאַסֵּ֥ף אוֹתִ֖י הַבָּֽיְתָה׃

   va-YO-mer e-LAV o-ve-RIM a-NA-khnu mi-BEIT-le-khem ye-hu-DA ad-yar-ke-TEI har-e-fra-YIM mi-SHAM a-NO-khi va-e-LEKH ad-BEIT LE-khem ye-hu-DA ve-et-BEIT Ye-ho-VAH a-NI ho-LEKH ve-EIN ISH me-a-SEF o-TI hab-BAI-ta

   and he said to him passing through we from Beth-lehem Judah to the far parts of the hill country of Ephraim from there I and I went to the house of Beth-lehem Judah and the house of the LORD I am going and there is not a man gathering in me into the house

Exegesis

The participle hōlēḳ ’ănî {הֹלֵךְ אֲנִי | hōlēḳ ’ănî} ‘I am going’ indicates ongoing movement, and the existential clause wə’ēn ’îš mə’āsēp̄ ’ōṯî {וְאֵין אִישׁ מְאַסֵּף אוֹתִי | wə’ēn ’îš mə’āsēp̄ ’ōṯî} ‘and there is no one gathering me’ employs a Piel participle to express denial of hospitality. The locative habbāytāh ‘homeward’ intensifies the plea for lodging. This structure highlights the speaker’s urgency and the social obligation of hospitality in ancient Israel.