Bible HebrewWhat Is Good Micah 6:8
One of the prophets' best-known summaries, built on three infinitives.
Micah 6:8
הִגִּיד לְךָ אָדָם מַה־טּוֹב וּמָה־יְהוָה דּוֹרֵשׁ מִמְּךָ כִּי אִם־עֲשׂוֹת מִשְׁפָּט וְאַהֲבַת חֶסֶד וְהַצְנֵעַ לֶכֶת עִם־אֱלֹהֶיךָ
Higgīdh ləkhā ʾādhām ma-ṭōv ūmā-yəḥawwe dōrēsh mimməkhā kī ʾim-ʿăśōth mishpāṭ wəʾahăvath ḥesedh wəhaṣnēaʿ lekheth ʿim-ʾĕlōhekhā
“He has told you, O man, what is good, and what yəḥawwe requires of you: only to do justice, and to love steadfast love, and to walk humbly with your God.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| הִגִּיד | higgīdh | he has told |
| לְךָ | ləkhā | you |
| אָדָם | ʾādhām | O man |
| מַה | ma | what (is) |
| טּוֹב | ṭōv | good |
| וּמָה | ūmā | and what |
| יְהוָה | yəḥawwe | yəḥawwe |
| דּוֹרֵשׁ | dōrēsh | (is) seeking |
| מִמְּךָ | mimməkhā | from you |
| כִּי | kī | but |
| אִם | ʾim | only |
| עֲשׂוֹת | ʿăśōth | to do |
| מִשְׁפָּט | mishpāṭ | justice |
| וְאַהֲבַת | wəʾahăvath | and to love |
| חֶסֶד | ḥesedh | steadfast love |
| וְהַצְנֵעַ | wəhaṣnēaʿ | and to be humble (in) |
| לֶכֶת | lekheth | walking |
| עִם | ʿim | with |
| אֱלֹהֶיךָ | ʾĕlōhekhā | your God |
- הִגִּיד: הִגִּיד, “he has told”: a Hiphil perfect of נגד. The נ has assimilated into the doubled ג.
- אָדָם: אָדָם, “man, humankind”: here someone is being addressed, “O man”, meaning any human being.
- דּוֹרֵשׁ: דּוֹרֵשׁ, “seeking, requiring”: a participle.
- כִּי: כִּי אִם together mean “but only, except”: “what does yəḥawwe require … but to do justice …”.
- עֲשׂוֹת: Three infinitives list what is required: עֲשׂוֹת, “to do” (a III-he verb, ending in ־וֹת), אַהֲבַת, “to love”, and הַצְנֵעַ לֶכֶת, “to be humble in walking” (see the Infinitives lesson).
- וְהַצְנֵעַ: וְהַצְנֵעַ לֶכֶת: a Hiphil infinitive, “to make humble”, with לֶכֶת, “walking”, the infinitive of הָלַךְ.
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