וַיְהִ֣י רָעָב֩ בִּימֵ֨י דָוִ֜ד שָׁלֹ֣שׁ שָׁנִ֗ים שָׁנָה֙ אַחֲרֵ֣י שָׁנָ֔ה וַיְבַקֵּ֥שׁ דָּוִ֖ד אֶת־פְּנֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה ס וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֗ה אֶל־שָׁאוּל֙ וְאֶל־בֵּ֣ית הַדָּמִ֔ים עַל־אֲשֶׁר־הֵמִ֖ית אֶת־הַגִּבְעֹנִֽים׃
And there was a famine in the days of Dawid three years, year after year; and Dawid sought the face of YHWH. And YHWH said, “It is because of Shaʾul and because of the house of blood, because he put to death the Giveʿonim.”
Morphology
- וַיְהִ֣י (vayehi) – Root: היה; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular (past narrative); Translation: “And there was”; Notes: Narrative introduction marking an event.
- רָעָב (raʿav) – Root: רעב; Form: Noun, masculine singular; Translation: “famine”; Notes: Refers to a period of hunger or lack of food.
- בִּימֵי (bi-yemei) – Root: יום; Form: Preposition + construct plural noun; Translation: “in the days of”; Notes: Construct form indicating time frame.
- דָוִד (Dawid) – Root: דוד; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Dawid”; Notes: Refers to King Dawid.
- שָׁלֹשׁ (shalosh) – Root: שלש; Form: Cardinal number, feminine; Translation: “three”; Notes: Agrees with the feminine noun “years”.
- שָׁנִים (shanim) – Root: שנה; Form: Noun, feminine plural; Translation: “years”; Notes: Measures duration of the famine.
- שָׁנָה (shanah) – Root: שנה; Form: Noun, feminine singular; Translation: “a year”; Notes: Repetition emphasizes the recurring nature of the famine.
- אַחֲרֵי (aḥarei) – Root: אחר; Form: Preposition; Translation: “after”; Notes: Indicates sequential repetition.
- וַיְבַקֵּשׁ (vayevakkesh) – Root: בקש; Form: Piel wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular (past narrative); Translation: “and he sought”; Notes: Intensive stem indicating intentional effort.
- דָוִד (Dawid) – Root: דוד; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Dawid”; Notes: Subject of the verb “sought”.
- אֶת־פְּנֵי (et-penei) – Root: פנה; Form: Direct object marker + construct noun; Translation: “the face of”; Notes: Common idiom for seeking an audience or favor.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) – Root: היה; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: Tetragrammaton, the personal name of God in the Tanakh.
- וַיֹּאמֶר (vayomer) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And he said”; Notes: Introduces divine response.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) – Root: היה; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: Speaker of the revelation to Dawid.
- אֶל־שָׁאוּל (el-Sha’ul) – Root: שאל; Form: Preposition + proper noun; Translation: “concerning Sha’ul”; Notes: Marks the subject of judgment.
- וְאֶל־בֵּית הַדָּמִים (ve-el-beit ha-damim) – Root: דם; Form: Preposition + construct noun + definite noun; Translation: “and concerning the house of blood”; Notes: Refers to his violent lineage or deeds.
- עַל־אֲשֶׁר־הֵמִית (ʿal-asher-hemit) – Root: מות; Form: Preposition + relative particle + Hifil perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “because he put to death”; Notes: Hifil stem indicates causative action.
- אֶת־הַגִּבְעֹנִים (et-ha-Givʿonim) – Root: גבעון; Form: Direct object marker + proper noun (gentilic plural); Translation: “the Givʿonim”; Notes: Non-Israelite group under Israelite protection, originally from the Hivites.