שֹׁמֵ֣ר

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 שֹׁמֵ֣ר

   sho-MER

   keeps or guards
2. clause🔊 שֹׁמֵ֣ר מִ֭צְוָה שֹׁמֵ֣ר נַפְשׁ֑וֹ

   sho-MER mits-VA sho-MER naf-SHO

   one keeping or guarding a commandment keeps or guards his life or his soul
3. sentence🔊 שֹׁמֵ֣ר מִ֭צְוָה שֹׁמֵ֣ר נַפְשׁ֑וֹ בּוֹזֵ֖ה דְרָכָ֣יו יומת יָמֽוּת׃

   sho-MER mits-VA sho-MER naf-SHO bo-ZE de-ra-KHAV yu-MAT ya-MUT

   one keeping or guarding a commandment keeps or guards his life or his soul one despising his ways will be put to death he will die

Exegesis

Each clause begins with the participle shomer {שֹׁמֵ֣ר | šōmēr} ‘one who keeps’ and bozeh {בּוֹזֵ֖ה | bō·zēh} ‘one who despises’, followed by their objects mitzvah {מִ֭צְוָה | miṣ·wāh} ‘commandment’ and derakhav {דְרָכָ֣יו | də·rā·ḵāw} ‘his ways’.

The first clause’s predicate shomer nap̄shô {שֹׁמֵ֣ר נַפְשׁ֑וֹ | šōmēr nap̄·šōw} ‘keeps his soul’ conveys self-preservation, while the second clause’s predicate yāmut {יָמוּת׃ | yā·mūṯ} ‘he will die’ expresses the result without a conjunction. The structure highlights cause–effect logic, contrasting obedience with preservation and contempt with death, and the participles function as verbal nouns in a succinct, direct style.

Root and etymology

Root🔊 ש־מ־רshin–mem–resh

“to keep, guard”

• 🔊 מִשְׁמָרmišmārwatch, guardNehemiah 4:16