חָטָֽאנוּ׃

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 חָטָֽאנוּ׃

   kha-ta-NU

   we have sinned
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 כִּ֥י חָטָֽאנוּ׃

   kee kha-ta-NU

   for we have sinned
3. clause🔊 הִנֶּ֗נּוּ וְעָלִ֛ינוּ אֶל־הַמָּק֛וֹם אֲשֶׁר־אָמַ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה כִּ֥י חָטָֽאנוּ׃

   hi-NE-nu ve-a-LEE-nu el-ha-ma-KOM a-SHER-a-MAR Ye-ho-VAH kee kha-ta-NU

   Here we are and we will go up to the place which said LORD for we have sinned
4. sentence🔊 וַיַּשְׁכִּ֣מוּ בַבֹּ֔קֶר וַיַּֽעֲל֥וּ אֶל־רֹאשׁ־הָהָ֖ר לֵאמֹ֑ר הִנֶּ֗נּוּ וְעָלִ֛ינוּ אֶל־הַמָּק֛וֹם אֲשֶׁר־אָמַ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה כִּ֥י חָטָֽאנוּ׃

   va-yash-KEE-mu ba-BO-ker va-ya-a-LU el-ROSH-ha-HAR le-MOR hi-NE-nu ve-a-LEE-nu el-ha-ma-KOM a-SHER-a-MAR Ye-ho-VAH kee kha-ta-NU

   And they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the hill saying Here we are and we will go up to the place which said LORD for we have sinned

Exegesis

Finally, kî {כִּ֥י | kî} ‘because’ introduces motivation, leading to ḥāṭānû {חָטָֽאנוּ | ḥāṭānû} ‘we have sinned,’ which serves as both confession and causal impetus. The English rendering uses conjunctions and punctuation to preserve the Hebrew’s asyndetic flow and causal relationships.

Root and etymology

Root🔊 ḥet-tet-alephḥet-tet-aleph

“to sin, to miss the mark”

• 🔊 חֵטְאḥēṭsinLeviticus 4:3