וַיֹּ֤אמֶר מֶֽלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֶל־עֲבָדָ֔יו הַיְדַעְתֶּ֕ם כִּֽי־לָ֖נוּ רָמֹ֣ת גִּלְעָ֑ד וַאֲנַ֣חְנוּ מַחְשִׁ֔ים מִקַּ֣חַת אֹתָ֔הּ מִיַּ֖ד מֶ֥לֶךְ אֲרָֽם׃
And the king of Yisraʾel said to his servants, “Do you know that Ramot Gileʿad is ours, and we keep silent from taking it out of the hand of the king of Aram?”
Morphology
- וַיֹּאמֶר (va-yoʾmer) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And he said”; Notes: Introduces direct speech from the king.
- מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל (melekh-Yisraʾel) – Root: מלך (melekh), ישראל (Yisraʾel); Form: Construct chain: noun masculine singular + proper noun; Translation: “king of Yisraʾel”; Notes: Likely referring to Aḥav.
- אֶל־עֲבָדָיו (el-ʿavadav) – Root: עבד (ʿeved); Form: Preposition + noun masculine plural with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “to his servants”; Notes: His court or officers.
- הַיְדַעְתֶּם (ha-yedaʿtem) – Root: ידע (yadaʿ); Form: Hiphil perfect 2nd person masculine plural with interrogative הַ; Translation: “Have you known?” or “Do you know?”; Notes: Rhetorical question expecting affirmation.
- כִּי־לָנוּ (ki-lanu) – Root: ל־ (le), אנחנו (ʾanachnu); Form: Conjunction + preposition + 1st person plural suffix; Translation: “that [it is] for us”; Notes: Asserting ownership.
- רָמֹת גִּלְעָד (Ramot Gilʿad) – Root: רמה (ramah), גלעד (Gilʿad); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Ramot-Gilʿad”; Notes: A strategically important city in the Transjordan region.
- וַאֲנַחְנוּ (va-ʾanachnu) – Root: אנחנו (ʾanachnu); Form: Personal pronoun 1st person plural with conjunction; Translation: “and we”; Notes: Introduces contrast or irony: despite ownership, they do nothing.
- מַחְשִׁים (maḥshim) – Root: חָשָׁה (ḥashah); Form: Hiphil participle masculine plural; Translation: “are silent”; Notes: Describes their inaction or passivity.
- מִקַּחַת (miqqaḥat) – Root: לקח (laqach); Form: Preposition מִן + infinitive construct with assimilated dagesh; Translation: “from taking”; Notes: Purpose or result of their silence.
- אֹתָהּ (otah) – Root: את (ʾet); Form: Accusative pronoun 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers back to Ramot-Gilʿad.
- מִיַּד (mi-yad) – Root: יד (yad); Form: Preposition מִן + noun feminine singular in construct; Translation: “out of the hand of”; Notes: Common phrase for military control or possession.
- מֶלֶךְ אֲרָם (melekh Aram) – Root: מלך (melekh), ארם (Aram); Form: Noun + proper noun; Translation: “king of Aram”; Notes: Likely refers to Ben-Hadad or a successor, ruling over Damascus.