וַיֹּ֗אמֶר רָאִ֤יתִי אֶת־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ נְפֹצִ֣ים אֶל־הֶהָרִ֔ים כַּצֹּ֕אן אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֵין־לָהֶ֖ם רֹעֶ֑ה וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ לֹֽא־אֲדֹנִ֣ים לָאֵ֔לֶּה יָשׁ֥וּבוּ אִישׁ־לְבֵיתֹ֖ו בְּשָׁלֹֽום׃
And he said, “I saw all Yisraʾel scattered upon the mountains like sheep that have no shepherd.” And YHWH said, “These have no master; let each return to his house in peace.”
Morphology
- וַיֹּאמֶר (va-yoʾmer) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And he said”; Notes: Introduces Mikhayehu’s true prophetic vision.
- רָאִיתִי (raʾiti) – Root: ראה (raʾah); Form: Qal perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I saw”; Notes: Vision report formula, marking divine revelation.
- אֶת־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל (et-kol-Yisraʾel) – Root: את (ʾet), כל (kol), ישראל (Yisraʾel); Form: Accusative marker + noun construct + proper noun; Translation: “all Yisraʾel”; Notes: Refers to the whole nation as scattered.
- נְפֹצִים (nefotzim) – Root: פוץ (puts); Form: Nifal participle masculine plural; Translation: “scattered”; Notes: Depicts disarray, dispersion without leadership.
- אֶל־הֶהָרִים (el-he-harim) – Root: הר (har); Form: Preposition + definite noun masculine plural; Translation: “upon the mountains”; Notes: Symbolic of isolation and vulnerability.
- כַּצֹּאן (ka-tson) – Root: צאן (tson); Form: Preposition כְ + noun masculine/feminine singular; Translation: “like sheep”; Notes: Figurative comparison of Yisraʾel’s leaderless state.
- אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) – Root: אשר (ʾasher); Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces subordinate clause.
- אֵין־לָהֶם (ʾein-lahem) – Root: אין (ʾein), הם (hem); Form: Non-existence particle + preposition + pronoun; Translation: “have no”; Notes: Statement of absence or lack.
- רֹעֶה (roʿeh) – Root: רעה (raʿah); Form: Qal participle masculine singular; Translation: “shepherd”; Notes: Metaphor for a king or leader.
- וַיֹּאמֶר (va-yoʾmer) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And said”; Notes: Transition to divine response.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: Speaker of the judgment that follows.
- לֹא־אֲדֹנִים (lo-adonim) – Root: לא (lo), אדן (adon); Form: Negative particle + plural noun; Translation: “no master”; Notes: Emphasizes the lack of kingly leadership.
- לָאֵלֶּה (la-ʾelleh) – Root: אלה (ʾelleh); Form: Preposition לְ + demonstrative plural; Translation: “to these”; Notes: Refers to the scattered people.
- יָשׁוּבוּ (yashuvu) – Root: שׁוב (shuv); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “let them return”; Notes: Suggests peaceful withdrawal and survival.
- אִישׁ־לְבֵיתוֹ (ʾish-le-veito) – Root: איש (ʾish), בית (bayit); Form: Noun + preposition + noun masculine singular with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “each to his house”; Notes: Standard idiom for personal return or disbandment.
- בְּשָׁלוֹם (be-shalom) – Root: שׁלם (shalom); Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “in peace”; Notes: Contrasts with the expected outcome of war—judgment through dispersion, not death.