וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ שָׂרֵ֣י פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים מָ֖ה הָעִבְרִ֣ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אָכִ֜ישׁ אֶל־שָׂרֵ֣י פְלִשְׁתִּ֗ים הֲלֹֽוא־זֶ֨ה דָוִ֜ד עֶ֣בֶד שָׁא֣וּל מֶֽלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל אֲשֶׁ֨ר הָיָ֤ה אִתִּי֙ זֶ֤ה יָמִים֙ אֹו־זֶ֣ה שָׁנִ֔ים וְלֹֽא־מָצָ֤אתִי בֹו֙ מְא֔וּמָה מִיֹּ֥ום נָפְלֹ֖ו עַד־הַיֹּ֥ום הַזֶּֽה׃ פ
And the commanders of the Pelishtim said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Akhish said to the commanders of the Pelishtim, “Is this not Dawid, the servant of Shaʾul, king of Yisraʾel, who has been with me these days or these years? And I have found nothing in him from the day he fell away until this day.
Morphology
- וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ (va-yomeru) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal wayyiqtol (preterite) 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “And they said”; Notes: Introduces direct speech.
- שָׂרֵ֣י (sarei) – Root: שר; Form: Noun, masculine plural construct; Translation: “the commanders of”; Notes: Refers to Philistine leaders.
- פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים (Pelishtim) – Root: פלשת; Form: Proper noun, masculine plural; Translation: “the Pelishtim”; Notes: Refers to the Philistines.
- מָ֖ה (mah) – Root: מה; Form: Interrogative pronoun; Translation: “What”; Notes: Introduces a question.
- הָעִבְרִ֣ים (ha-ʿIvrim) – Root: עבר; Form: Noun, masculine plural definite; Translation: “the Hebrews”; Notes: Identifies ethnic identity.
- הָאֵ֑לֶּה (ha-elleh) – Root: אלה; Form: Demonstrative pronoun, masculine plural; Translation: “these”; Notes: Specifies the subject.
- וַיֹּ֨אמֶר (va-yomer) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal wayyiqtol (preterite) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And he said”; Notes: Introduces response.
- אָכִ֜ישׁ (Akhish) – Root: אכיש; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Akhish”; Notes: A Philistine king.
- אֶל־שָׂרֵ֣י (el-sarei) – Root: שר; Form: Preposition with noun, masculine plural construct; Translation: “to the commanders of”; Notes: Indicates speech direction.
- פְלִשְׁתִּ֗ים (Pelishtim) – Root: פלשת; Form: Proper noun, masculine plural; Translation: “the Pelishtim”; Notes: Refers to the Philistines.
- הֲלֹֽוא־זֶ֨ה (halo-zeh) – Root: זה; Form: Interrogative with demonstrative pronoun; Translation: “Is this not”; Notes: Rhetorical question.
- דָוִ֜ד (Dawid) – Root: דוד; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Dawid”; Notes: Refers to King David.
- עֶ֣בֶד (ʿeved) – Root: עבד; Form: Noun, masculine singular absolute; Translation: “servant”; Notes: Indicates subordination.
- שָׁא֣וּל (Shaʾul) – Root: שאול; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Shaʾul”; Notes: Refers to King Saul.
- מֶֽלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל (melekh-Yisraʾel) – Root: מלך / ישראל; Form: Noun construct with proper noun; Translation: “king of Yisraʾel”; Notes: Specifies his rule.
- אֲשֶׁ֨ר (asher) – Root: אשר; Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces clause.
- הָיָ֤ה (hayah) – Root: היה; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “has been”; Notes: Expresses past continuity.
- אִתִּי֙ (itti) – Root: את; Form: Preposition with 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “with me”; Notes: Indicates association.
- זֶ֤ה יָמִים֙ (zeh yamim) – Root: זה / יום; Form: Demonstrative pronoun with noun, masculine plural; Translation: “these days”; Notes: Expresses duration.
- אֹו־זֶ֣ה שָׁנִ֔ים (o-zeh shanim) – Root: או / שנה; Form: Conjunction with noun, feminine plural absolute; Translation: “or these years”; Notes: Adds uncertainty.
- וְלֹֽא־מָצָ֤אתִי (ve-lo-maṣati) – Root: מצא; Form: Qal perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “And I have not found”; Notes: Denotes a past completed action.
- בֹו֙ (bo) – Root: בו; Form: Preposition with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “in him”; Notes: Indicates Dawid as the object of examination.
- מְא֔וּמָה (meʾumah) – Root: מאום; Form: Noun, masculine singular absolute; Translation: “anything”; Notes: Expresses total negation.
- מִיֹּ֥ום (mi-yom) – Root: יום; Form: Noun, masculine singular absolute with preposition; Translation: “from the day”; Notes: Introduces a temporal reference.
- נָפְלֹ֖ו (noflo) – Root: נפל; Form: Qal infinitive construct with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “he fell away”; Notes: May indicate defection or desertion.
- עַד־הַיֹּ֥ום (ʿad-ha-yom) – Root: עד / יום; Form: Preposition with noun, masculine singular absolute with definite article; Translation: “until this day”; Notes: Marks a continuous time span.
- הַזֶּֽה׃ (ha-zeh) – Root: זה; Form: Demonstrative pronoun, masculine singular; Translation: “this”; Notes: Specifies the present moment.
- פ (pe) – Form: Section marker; Notes: Indicates a paragraph break in the Masoretic text.