כִּ֤י אֶת־כָּל־מַֽעֲשֶׂ֔ה הָאֱלֹהִ֛ים יָבִ֥א בְמִשְׁפָּ֖ט עַ֣ל כָּל־נֶעְלָ֑ם אִם־טֹ֖וב וְאִם־רָֽע׃
(Ecclesiastes 12:14)
For God will bring every deed into judgment, concerning every hidden thing, whether good or whether evil.
Word-by-Word Explanation
- כִּי — “for / because.” Introduces the reason or basis for the previous statement.
- אֶת־כָּל־מַעֲשֶׂה — “every deed.” אֶת marks the definite object. כָּל = “all, every.” מַעֲשֶׂה = “work, deed, action.”
- הָאֱלֹהִים — “God.” Definite article + אֱלֹהִים (“God”).
- יָבִיא — “will bring.” Hifil imperfect 3rd masculine singular from בּוֹא (“to come, bring”). Here: causative, “He will bring.”
- בְמִשְׁפָּט — “into judgment.” Preposition בְ (“in, into”) + מִשְׁפָּט (“judgment, decision, justice”).
- עַל כָּל־נֶעְלָם — “concerning every hidden thing.” עַל = “upon, concerning.” נֶעְלָם is a passive participle (“hidden, concealed”) from עָלַם (“to hide, conceal”).
- אִם־טוֹב — “whether good.” אִם here introduces an alternative (“if / whether”). טוֹב = “good.”
- וְאִם־רָע — “or whether evil.” רָע = “evil, bad, harmful.”
Word Order and Sentence Flow
This sentence is tight, with no wasted words. Its movement is:
- כִּי אֶת־כָּל־מַעֲשֶׂה — “For every deed…” (sets the scope).
- הָאֱלֹהִים יָבִיא בְמִשְׁפָּט — “God will bring into judgment…” (main action).
- עַל כָּל־נֶעְלָם — “…concerning every hidden thing…” (extension of scope).
- אִם־טוֹב וְאִם־רָע — “…whether good or whether evil.” (final inclusio, nothing left out).
Notice how Hebrew often places the object early (“every deed”) for emphasis before stating the verb (“will bring”).
Structure Chart
| Scope | Action | Extension | Final Contrast |
|---|---|---|---|
| כָּל־מַעֲשֶׂה every deed |
יָבִיא בְמִשְׁפָּט God will bring into judgment |
כָּל־נֶעְלָם every hidden thing |
אִם־טוֹב וְאִם־רָע whether good or evil |
How the Sentence Works (Beginner’s View)
- Emphasis on totality: words like כָּל (“all, every”) and the pair “good/evil” stress nothing escapes notice.
- Passive participle: נֶעְלָם shows that even what is hidden is still under judgment.
- Verb placement: Hebrew often puts the verb after the subject in poetic or emphatic clauses (here: “God will bring…”).
Now You See the Structure
This short verse from Qohelet shows how Hebrew condenses sweeping truth into a compact frame. You learned the function of כִּי, saw how participles like נֶעְלָם carry nuance, and followed how “whether good or evil” closes the circle. You’ve just walked through one of the Bible’s most concise declarations of accountability — in the very words of the Hebrew text itself.
“Step by step, you are learning how Hebrew weaves its deepest truths into short, powerful lines.”
