וְדִבַּרְתָּ֨ אֵלָ֜יו לֵאמֹ֗ר כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה הֲרָצַ֖חְתָּ וְגַם־יָרָ֑שְׁתָּ וְדִבַּרְתָּ֨ אֵלָ֜יו לֵאמֹ֗ר כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה בִּמְקֹ֗ום אֲשֶׁ֨ר לָקְק֤וּ הַכְּלָבִים֙ אֶת־דַּ֣ם נָבֹ֔ות יָלֹ֧קּוּ הַכְּלָבִ֛ים אֶת־דָּמְךָ֖ גַּם־אָֽתָּה׃
And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says YHWH: “Have you murdered and also taken possession?”’ And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says YHWH: “In the place where the dogs licked the blood of Navot, the dogs shall lick your blood, even yours.”’”
Morphology
- וְדִבַּרְתָּ (ve-dibbarta) – Root: דבר (davar); Form: Piel perfect 2nd person masculine singular with vav-consecutive; Translation: “And you shall speak”; Notes: Command to Eliyahu to confront Aḥav directly.
- אֵלָיו (elav) – Root: אל (ʾel); Form: Preposition + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Target of Eliyahu’s prophetic speech.
- לֵאמֹר (leʾemor) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Infinitive construct with preposition לְ; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Introduces the divine pronouncement.
- כֹּה (koh) – Root: כה (koh); Form: Adverb; Translation: “thus”; Notes: Standard prophetic formula indicating quotation of YHWH’s words.
- אָמַר (amar) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “says”; Notes: Refers to YHWH as the speaker.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: Covenant name of God in Israel’s Scriptures.
- הֲרָצַחְתָּ (ha-ratzaḥta) – Root: רצח (ratzach); Form: Qal perfect 2nd person masculine singular with interrogative הֲ; Translation: “Have you murdered?”; Notes: Direct accusatory question regarding Navot’s death.
- וְגַם־יָרָשְׁתָּ (ve-gam-yarashta) – Root: ירשׁ (yarash); Form: Qal perfect 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “and also taken possession?”; Notes: Highlights the moral outrage of seizing property after committing murder.
- וְדִבַּרְתָּ (ve-dibbarta) – Root: דבר (davar); Form: Piel perfect 2nd person masculine singular with vav-consecutive; Translation: “And you shall speak”; Notes: Repetition emphasizing the gravity of the message.
- אֵלָיו (elav) – Root: אל (ʾel); Form: Preposition + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Target remains Aḥav.
- לֵאמֹר (leʾemor) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Infinitive construct with preposition לְ; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Introduces the following sentence.
- כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה (koh amar YHWH) – Translation: “Thus says YHWH”; Notes: Standard prophetic formula affirming divine authority.
- בִּמְקוֹם (bimqom) – Root: מקום (maqom); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “in the place”; Notes: Specifies where the judgment will occur.
- אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) – Root: אשר (ʾasher); Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “where”; Notes: Introduces the description of the location.
- לָקְקוּ (laqequ) – Root: לקק (laqaq); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they licked”; Notes: Refers to the dogs licking blood.
- הַכְּלָבִים (ha-kelevim) – Root: כלב (kelev); Form: Definite noun masculine plural; Translation: “the dogs”; Notes: Agents of defilement and judgment imagery.
- אֶת־דַּם נָבֹות (et-dam Navot) – Root: דם (dam); Form: Accusative marker + noun masculine singular + proper noun; Translation: “the blood of Navot”; Notes: Specifies the victim whose blood was defiled.
- יָלֹקוּ (yaloku) – Root: לקק (laqaq); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they shall lick”; Notes: Future action echoing the previous licking as prophetic fulfillment.
- הַכְּלָבִים (ha-kelevim) – Root: כלב (kelev); Form: Definite noun masculine plural; Translation: “the dogs”; Notes: Repeated subject for emphasis.
- אֶת־דָּמְךָ (et-damekha) – Root: דם (dam); Form: Accusative marker + noun masculine singular with 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “your blood”; Notes: Refers to Aḥav’s own blood as the object of the coming judgment.
- גַּם־אָתָּה (gam-atta) – Root: גם (gam), אתה (atta); Form: Adverb + personal pronoun masculine singular; Translation: “even you”; Notes: Emphasizes that Aḥav will suffer the same disgrace as Navot.