וַיֹּ֛אמֶר אִם־לְשָׁלֹ֥ום יָצָ֖אוּ תִּפְשׂ֣וּם חַיִּ֑ים וְאִ֧ם לְמִלְחָמָ֛ה יָצָ֖אוּ חַיִּ֥ים תִּפְשֽׂוּם׃
And he said, “If they have come out for peace, seize them alive; and if they have come out for battle, alive seize them.”
Morphology
- וַיֹּאמֶר (va-yomer) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And he said”; Notes: Refers to Ben-Hadad giving instructions.
- אִם (im) – Root: אם (im); Form: Conditional particle; Translation: “If”; Notes: Introduces a conditional situation.
- לְשָׁלֹום (le-shalom) – Root: שלום (shalom); Form: Preposition לְ with noun masculine singular; Translation: “for peace”; Notes: Refers to peaceful intent or parley.
- יָצָאוּ (yatsaʾu) – Root: יצא (yatsaʾ); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they have come out”; Notes: Describes the men exiting Shomron.
- תִּפְשׂוּם (tifseʾsum) – Root: תפשׂ (tafash); Form: Qal imperfect 2nd person masculine plural with 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “seize them”; Notes: Command directed at Ben-Hadad’s troops.
- חַיִּים (ḥayyim) – Root: חיה (ḥayah); Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “alive”; Notes: Indicates they are to be captured without killing them.
- וְאִם (ve-im) – Root: אם (im); Form: Conjunction וְ + conditional particle; Translation: “and if”; Notes: Sets up an alternative condition.
- לְמִלְחָמָה (le-milḥamah) – Root: לחם (laḥam); Form: Preposition לְ with noun feminine singular; Translation: “for battle”; Notes: Refers to hostile intent or warfare.
- יָצָאוּ (yatsaʾu) – Root: יצא (yatsaʾ); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they have come out”; Notes: Repetition for second condition (battle).
- חַיִּים (ḥayyim) – Root: חיה (ḥayah); Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “alive”; Notes: Repetition stressing capture alive in either case.
- תִּפְשׂוּם (tifseʾsum) – Root: תפשׂ (tafash); Form: Qal imperfect 2nd person masculine plural with 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “seize them”; Notes: Repeated verb for emphasis on capturing rather than killing.