הֲלֹוא־זֶ֣ה דָוִ֔ד אֲשֶׁ֧ר יַעֲנוּ־לֹ֛ו בַּמְּחֹלֹ֖ות לֵאמֹ֑ר הִכָּ֤ה שָׁאוּל֙ בַּֽאֲלָפָ֔יו וְדָוִ֖ד בְּרִבְבֹתָֽו ס
Is this not Dawid, about whom they answered in dances, saying: ‘Shaʾul has struck down his thousands, and Dawid his ten thousands’?”
Morphology
- הֲלֹוא־זֶ֣ה (halo-zeh) – Root: זה; Form: Interrogative particle with demonstrative pronoun, masculine singular; Translation: “Is this not”; Notes: Introduces a rhetorical question.
- דָוִ֔ד (Dawid) – Root: דוד; Form: Proper noun, masculine singular; Translation: “Dawid”; Notes: Refers to King David.
- אֲשֶׁ֧ר (asher) – Root: אשר; Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces a relative clause.
- יַעֲנוּ־לֹ֛ו (yaʿanu-lo) – Root: ענה; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “they answered him”; Notes: Refers to public acclaim.
- בַּמְּחֹלֹ֖ות (ba-meḥolot) – Root: מחול; Form: Noun, feminine plural definite with preposition; Translation: “in dances”; Notes: Refers to celebratory dances.
- לֵאמֹ֑ר (lemor) – Root: אמר; Form: Infinitive construct; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Introduces direct speech.
- הִכָּ֤ה (hikkah) – Root: נכה; Form: Hifil perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “has struck down”; Notes: Refers to military victory.
- שָׁאוּל֙ (Shaʾul) – Root: שאול; Form: Proper noun, masculine singular; Translation: “Shaʾul”; Notes: Refers to King Saul.
- בַּֽאֲלָפָ֔יו (ba-alafav) – Root: אלף; Form: Noun, masculine plural construct with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “in his thousands”; Notes: Indicates the scale of his victories.
- וְדָוִ֖ד (ve-Dawid) – Root: דוד; Form: Proper noun, masculine singular; Translation: “and Dawid”; Notes: Refers to King David.
- בְּרִבְבֹתָֽו (be-rivvotav) – Root: רבבה; Form: Noun, feminine plural construct with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “in his ten thousands”; Notes: Emphasizes his superior victories.
- ס (samekh) – Form: Section marker; Notes: Indicates a minor pause in the Masoretic text.