וַיֵּ֣לֶךְ מִ֠שָּׁם וַיִּמְצָ֞א אֶת־אֱלִישָׁ֤ע בֶּן־שָׁפָט֙ וְה֣וּא חֹרֵ֔שׁ שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂ֤ר צְמָדִים֙ לְפָנָ֔יו וְה֖וּא בִּשְׁנֵ֣ים הֶעָשָׂ֑ר וַיַּעֲבֹ֤ר אֵלִיָּ֨הוּ֙ אֵלָ֔יו וַיַּשְׁלֵ֥ךְ אַדַּרְתֹּ֖ו אֵלָֽיו׃
And he went from there and found Elisha son of Shafat, and he was plowing with twelve pairs before him, and he was with the twelfth; and Eliyyahu passed over to him and threw his cloak upon him.
Morphology
- וַיֵּלֶךְ (va-yelekh) – Root: הלך (halakh); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And he went”; Notes: Typical narrative movement continuation.
- מִשָּׁם (mi-sham) – Root: שם (sham); Form: Preposition מִן + adverb; Translation: “from there”; Notes: Indicates direction away from the previous location.
- וַיִּמְצָא (va-yimtsa) – Root: מצא (matsaʾ); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and he found”; Notes: Introduces the discovery of Elisha.
- אֶת־אֱלִישָׁע (et-ʾElishaʿ) – Root: אלישע (ʾElishaʿ); Form: Accusative marker אֶת with proper noun; Translation: “Elisha”; Notes: Marks direct object of the verb “found.”
- בֶּן־שָׁפָט (ben-Shafat) – Root: בן (ben) + שפט (Shafat); Form: Construct chain; Translation: “son of Shafat”; Notes: Identifies Elisha’s parentage.
- וְהוּא (ve-hu) – Root: הוא (hu); Form: Independent pronoun with conjunction; Translation: “and he”; Notes: Emphasizes who is plowing.
- חֹרֵשׁ (ḥoresh) – Root: חרשׁ (ḥarash); Form: Qal participle masculine singular; Translation: “plowing”; Notes: Ongoing action description.
- שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂר (shenem-ʿasar) – Root: שנים + עשר (shnayim + ʿasar); Form: Cardinal number; Translation: “twelve”; Notes: Indicates the number of pairs of oxen.
- צְמָדִים (tsmadim) – Root: צמד (tsamad); Form: Noun, masculine plural; Translation: “pairs [of oxen]”; Notes: Agricultural term for yoked animals.
- לְפָנָיו (lefanav) – Root: פני (paneh); Form: Preposition לְ with noun construct and 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “before him”; Notes: Indicates Elisha’s position relative to the teams.
- וְהוּא (ve-hu) – Root: הוא (hu); Form: Independent pronoun with conjunction; Translation: “and he”; Notes: Reinforces Elisha’s identity among the workers.
- בִּשְׁנֵים (bi-shenayim) – Root: שנים (shenayim); Form: Preposition בְּ with dual cardinal number; Translation: “with the two”; Notes: Refers specifically to the twelfth pair.
- הֶעָשָׂר (he-ʿasar) – Root: עשר (ʿasar); Form: Definite article with cardinal number; Translation: “the ten”; Notes: Completing the phrase for “the twelfth.”
- וַיַּעֲבֹר (va-yaʿavor) – Root: עבר (ʿavar); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and he passed over”; Notes: Describes Eliyyahu’s approach toward Elisha.
- אֵלִיָּהוּ (Eliyyahu) – Root: אליהו (Eliyyahu); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Eliyyahu”; Notes: Subject of the verb “passed over.”
- אֵלָיו (elav) – Root: אל (el); Form: Preposition אֶל with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Indicates movement toward Elisha.
- וַיַּשְׁלֵךְ (va-yashlek) – Root: שלך (shalakh); Form: Hifil wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and he threw”; Notes: Indicates a symbolic prophetic act.
- אַדַּרְתּוֹ (addarto) – Root: אדרת (ʾaderet); Form: Noun, feminine singular with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “his cloak”; Notes: Symbol of prophetic office.
- אֵלָיו (elav) – Root: אל (el); Form: Preposition אֶל with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Repetition for emphasis on Elisha as the recipient.