--- title: Ecclesiastes 4:17 — Guard thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be ready to… · Hebrew, tree and pragmatics description: Guard thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be ready to hearken: it is better than when fools give sacrifices; for they know not that they do evil. Who acts: you, thou, foot, fools. Ecclesiastes 4:17 in Hebrew with its dependency tree, the Targum, JPS 1917 and the pragmatics of every cla --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/ECC.4.17/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [Tanakh](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tanakh/) / [Ketuvim](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/) / [Ecclesiastes](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/ECC/) / [chapter 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/ECC/4/) / 4:17 # Ecclesiastes 4:17 קֹהֶלֶת **Who acts:** you, thou, foot, fools, sacrifices · **What happens:** guard, go, be, hearken, give, not know · **To what, where:** foot, house, sacrifices, evil · **Speech:** someone speaks in this verse This is Ecclesiastes 4:17 from Mova's open Bible corpus, the Tanakh in three languages (Ketuvim — the Writings). The page gives the verse in Hebrew as the Westminster Leningrad Codex has it, its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, built from MACULA Hebrew — and its pragmatics: who acts — you, thou, foot, fools, sacrifices — and what happens in the verse to foot, house, sacrifices, evil, read clause by clause by Mova's frames. Beside it stand the Aramaic of the Targum and the English of the Jewish Publication Society's 1917 translation, each English sentence with a tree of its own. It is one of the 12 chapters of Ecclesiastes on this site, all built by Mova itself from its own trees, with no large model in between. שְׁמֹ֣ר רַגְלְךָ֗ כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר תֵּלֵךְ֙ אֶל־בֵּ֣ית הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים וְקָר֣וֹב לִשְׁמֹ֔עַ מִתֵּ֥ת הַכְּסִילִ֖ים זָ֑בַח כִּֽי־אֵינָ֥ם יוֹדְעִ֖ים לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת רָֽע׃ [Guard thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be ready to hearken: it is better than when fools give sacrifices; for they know not that they do evil.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/ECC.91/) ## The tree {#tree} Right to left, as the Hebrew is read; a prefix or suffix is a word of its own, and a line under the words joins those written as one. Under each word its part of speech and MACULA's English gloss. ```conllu rtl gloss # sent_id = wlc:ECC:82 # text = שְׁמֹ֣ר רַגְלְךָ֗ כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר תֵּלֵךְ֙ אֶל־בֵּ֣ית הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים וְקָר֣וֹב לִשְׁמֹ֔עַ מִתֵּ֥ת הַכְּסִילִ֖ים זָ֑בַח כִּֽי־אֵינָ֥ם יוֹדְעִ֖ים לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת רָֽע׃ # verse = ECC.4.17 1 שְׁמֹ֣ר שָׁמַר VERB _ Gender=Masc|HebBinyan=QAL|Number=Sing|Person=2 0 root _ Gloss=guard|Ref=ECC_4:17!1|MId=o210040170011|Strong=8104|Frame=A0:210120120031;A1:210040170031;|Type=imperative 2-3 רַגְלְךָ֗ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 רַגְל רֶגֶל NOUN _ Gender=Fem|Number=Sing 1 obj _ Gloss=foot|Ref=ECC_4:17!3|MId=o210040170031|Strong=7272 3 ְךָ֗ הוּא PRON _ Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=2|PronType=Prs 2 nmod:poss _ Gloss=your|Ref=ECC_4:17!3|MId=o210040170032|Strong=3509b|Type=pronominal 4-5 כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 4 כַּ כְּ ADP _ _ 1 obl _ Gloss=when|Ref=ECC_4:17!4|MId=o210040170041|Strong=3509a 5 אֲשֶׁ֤ר אֲשֶׁר SCONJ _ _ 6 mark _ Gloss=|Ref=ECC_4:17!4|MId=o210040170042|Strong=0834|Type=relative 6 תֵּלֵךְ֙ הלך VERB _ Gender=Masc|HebBinyan=QAL|Number=Sing|Person=2 4 acl:relcl _ Gloss=you.will.go|Ref=ECC_4:17!5|MId=o210040170051|Strong=1980|Frame=A0:210120120031;|Type=yiqtol 7 אֶל־ אֶל ADP _ _ 8 case _ Gloss=to|Ref=ECC_4:17!6|MId=o210040170061|Strong=0413|SpaceAfter=No 8 בֵּ֣ית בַּיִת NOUN _ Gender=Masc|Number=Sing 6 obl _ Gloss=the.house|Ref=ECC_4:17!7|MId=o210040170071|Strong=1004 9-10 הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 9 הָ הַ DET _ PronType=Art 10 det _ Gloss=of.(the)|Ref=ECC_4:17!8|MId=o210040170081|Strong=1886a|Type=definite_article 10 אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֱלֹהִים NOUN _ Gender=Masc|Number=Plur 8 compound:smixut _ Gloss=God|Ref=ECC_4:17!8|MId=o210040170082|Strong=0430 11-12 וְקָר֣וֹב _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 11 וְ וְ CCONJ _ _ 12 cc _ Gloss=and|Ref=ECC_4:17!9|MId=o210040170091|Strong=2050b 12 קָר֣וֹב קָרֹב VERB _ HebBinyan=QAL 1 conj _ Gloss=draw.near|Ref=ECC_4:17!9|MId=o210040170092|Strong=7126|Frame=A0:210120120031;|Type=infinitive_absolute 13-14 לִשְׁמֹ֔עַ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 13 לִ לְ ADP _ _ 14 case _ Gloss=to|Ref=ECC_4:17!10|MId=o210040170101|Strong=3807a 14 שְׁמֹ֔עַ שָׁמַע VERB _ HebBinyan=QAL 12 advcl _ Gloss=listen|Ref=ECC_4:17!10|MId=o210040170102|Strong=8085|Frame=A0:210120120031;|Type=infinitive_construct 15-16 מִתֵּ֥ת _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 15 מִ מִן ADP _ _ 16 case _ Gloss=more|Ref=ECC_4:17!11|MId=o210040170111|Strong=4480 16 תֵּ֥ת נָתַן VERB _ HebBinyan=QAL 12 advcl _ Gloss=than.to.give|Ref=ECC_4:17!11|MId=o210040170112|Strong=5414|Frame=A0:210040170122;A1:210040170131;|Type=infinitive_construct 17-18 הַכְּסִילִ֖ים _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 17 הַ הַ DET _ PronType=Art 18 det _ Gloss=the|Ref=ECC_4:17!12|MId=o210040170121|Strong=1886a|Type=definite_article 18 כְּסִילִ֖ים כְּסִיל NOUN _ Gender=Masc|Number=Plur 16 nsubj _ Gloss=fools|Ref=ECC_4:17!12|MId=o210040170122|Strong=3684|Type=adjective 19 זָ֑בַח זֶבַח NOUN _ Gender=Masc|Number=Sing 16 obj _ Gloss=a.sacrifice|Ref=ECC_4:17!13|MId=o210040170131|Strong=2077 20 כִּֽי־ כִּי SCONJ _ _ 23 mark _ Gloss=(dm)|Ref=ECC_4:17!14|MId=o210040170141|Strong=3588|SpaceAfter=No 21-22 אֵינָ֥ם _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 21 אֵינ אַיִן ADV _ _ 23 advmod _ Gloss=not|Ref=ECC_4:17!15|MId=o210040170151|Strong=0369|Type=negative 22 ָ֥ם הוּא PRON _ Gender=Masc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 23 nsubj _ Gloss=they|Ref=ECC_4:17!15|MId=o210040170152|Strong=3963a|Type=pronominal 23 יוֹדְעִ֖ים יָדַע VERB _ Gender=Masc|HebBinyan=QAL|Number=Plur 1 advcl _ Gloss=[are].knowing|Ref=ECC_4:17!16|MId=o210040170161|Strong=3045|Frame=A0:210040170152;|Type=participle_active 24-25 לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 24 לַ לְ ADP _ _ 25 case _ Gloss=to|Ref=ECC_4:17!17|MId=o210040170171|Strong=3807a 25 עֲשׂ֥וֹת עָשָׂה VERB _ HebBinyan=QAL 23 advcl _ Gloss=do|Ref=ECC_4:17!17|MId=o210040170172|Strong=6213|Frame=A0:210040170122;A1:210040170181;|Type=infinitive_construct 26 רָֽע רַע ADJ _ Gender=Masc|Number=Sing 25 obj _ Gloss=evil|Ref=ECC_4:17!18|MId=o210040170181|Strong=7451|Type=adjective|SpaceAfter=No 27 ׃ ׃ PUNCT _ _ 26 punct _ Ref=ECC_4:17!18 ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} - form: command - act: request - voice: character - speech: inside a quote begun earlier - negation: yes | verb | form · stem | who (A0) | what, whom (A1) | to whom, further (A2) | who makes it happen (AA) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | שְׁמֹר *guard* | imperative · qal | | רַגְל *foot* | | | | תֵּלֵךְ *you will go* | yiqtol · qal | | | | | | קָרוֹב *draw near* | infinitive absolute · qal | | | | | | שְׁמֹעַ *listen* | infinitive construct · qal | | | | | | תֵּת *than to give* | infinitive construct · qal | כְּסִילִים *fools* | זָבַח *a sacrifice* | | | | **not** יוֹדְעִים *\[are\] knowing* | participle active · qal | ָם *they* | | | | | עֲשׂוֹת *do* | infinitive construct · qal | כְּסִילִים *fools* | רָֽע *evil* | | | MACULA's semantic frames: for each verb the head word of each participant. A0 is the one who acts, A1 what the act is done to or is about, A2 a further participant; AA, with a causative verb, the one who makes it happen. ## The Targum {#onkelos} אַנְתְּ בַּר נָשָׁא טַר רִגְלָךְ בְּעִדָּן דְּתֵיזִיל לְבֵית מוּקְדְּשָׁא דַּיָי לְצַלָּאָה דְּלָא תְהָךְ תַּמָּן מְלֵא חוֹבִין עַד לָא תְתוּב וּתְהֵי מְקָרֵיב אוּדְנָךְ לְקַבָּלָא אוּלְפַן אוֹרָיְתָא מִן כָּהֲנַיָּא וְחַכִּימַיָּא וְלָא תְהֵי כְּטִפְּשַׁיָּא דִּמְקָרְבִין קוּרְבָּנָא עַל חוֹבֵיהוֹן וְלָא תָּיְבִין מִן עוֹבָדֵיהוֹן בִּישַׁיָּא דַּאֲחִידִין בִּידֵיהוֹן וְלֵיתוֹהִי מְקַבֵּל בְּרַעֲוָא אֲרוּם לֵיתֵיהוֹן יָדְעִין לְמֶעֱבַד \[בְּהוֹן\] בֵּין טָב לְבִישׁ: The Aramaic translation read beside the Hebrew. Text only: Mova has no Aramaic parser yet. ## English, JPS 1917 {#english} Each sentence on its own page, with its tree and pragmatics. A sentence that runs on into the next verse is listed under the verse it begins in. 1. [Guard thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be ready to hearken: it is better than when fools give sacrifices; for they know not that they do evil.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/ECC.91/) **Hebrew text:** Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain. **Tree, glosses and frames:** MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets, available at [github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-hebrew](https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-hebrew/), [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); converted to Universal Dependencies by Mova (words in text order, a prefix its own word). **Speech act:** Mova's rules on the MACULA words (`macula prag`). **Targum:** Onkelos (Torat Emet), Jonathan and the Writings (Mikraot Gedolot), from Sefaria, public domain. **English:** JPS 1917, public domain; trees and speech acts by Mova's cycle, frames by Mova's reader (Elamur Cosmic License). Hebrew sentence `wlc:ECC:82`. - ← previous: [Ecclesiastes 4:16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/ECC.4.16/) - next →: [Ecclesiastes 5:1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/ECC.5.1/) - ↑ back to [Ecclesiastes 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/ECC/4/)