2 Samuel 24:17

וַיֹּאמֶר֩ דָּוִ֨ד אֶל־יְהוָ֜ה בִּרְאֹתֹ֣ו אֶֽת־הַמַּלְאָ֣ךְ הַמַּכֶּ֣ה בָעָ֗ם וַיֹּ֨אמֶר֙ הִנֵּ֨ה אָנֹכִ֤י חָטָ֨אתִי֙ וְאָנֹכִ֣י הֶעֱוֵ֔יתִי וְאֵ֥לֶּה הַצֹּ֖אן מֶ֣ה עָשׂ֑וּ תְּהִ֨י נָ֥א יָדְךָ֛ בִּ֖י וּבְבֵ֥ית אָבִֽי׃ פ

And Dawid said to YHWH, when he saw the angel striking among the people, and he said, “Behold, it is I who have sinned, and it is I who have acted perversely; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father’s house.”

Morphology

1. וַיֹּאמֶר (vayyomer) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “And he said”; Notes: Standard narrative introduction to speech.
2. דָּוִד (Dawid) – Root: —; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Dawid”; Notes: Speaker of the prayer.
3. אֶל־יְהוָה (el-YHWH) – Root: אל; Form: Preposition + proper noun; Translation: “to YHWH”; Notes: Indicates the recipient of the plea.
4. בִּרְאֹתוֹ (birʾoto) – Root: ראה; Form: Infinitive construct with 3ms suffix; Translation: “when he saw”; Notes: Temporal clause introducing the situation.
5. אֶת־הַמַּלְאָךְ (et-ham-malʾakh) – Root: מלאך; Form: Definite direct object; Translation: “the angel”; Notes: Object of the verb “he saw.”
6. הַמַּכֶּה (ham-makkeh) – Root: נכה; Form: Hiphil participle masculine singular with article; Translation: “striking”; Notes: Describes the angel’s ongoing action.
7. בָּעָם (baʿam) – Root: עם; Form: Preposition + definite noun; Translation: “among the people”; Notes: Specifies the victims of the plague.
8. וַיֹּאמֶר (vayyomer) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: Continuation of Dawid’s speech.
9. הִנֵּה (hinneh) – Root: הנה; Form: Interjection; Translation: “Behold”; Notes: Expresses emotional emphasis.
10. אָנֹכִי (anokhi) – Root: —; Form: Independent pronoun, 1st person singular; Translation: “I”; Notes: Subject of the confession.
11. חָטָאתִי (ḥataʾti) – Root: חטא; Form: Qal perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “have sinned”; Notes: Acknowledgment of guilt.
12. וְאָנֹכִי (ve-anokhi) – Root: —; Form: Conjunction + pronoun; Translation: “and I”; Notes: Reiterates personal responsibility.
13. הֶעֱוֵיתִי (heʿevíti) – Root: עוה; Form: Hiphil perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “have acted perversely”; Notes: Further confession using a different verb for sin.
14. וְאֵלֶּה (ve-ʾelleh) – Root: —; Form: Demonstrative pronoun, plural; Translation: “but these”; Notes: Contrasts Dawid with the people.
15. הַצֹּאן (ha-tsoʾn) – Root: צאן; Form: Noun, feminine singular collective with article; Translation: “the sheep”; Notes: Metaphor for the people of Yisraʾel.
16. מֶה (mah) – Root: מה; Form: Interrogative pronoun; Translation: “what”; Notes: Introduces a rhetorical question.
17. עָשׂוּ (ʿasu) – Root: עשה; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person plural; Translation: “have they done”; Notes: Implies innocence of the people.
18. תְּהִי (tehi) – Root: היה; Form: Qal jussive 3rd feminine singular; Translation: “Let be”; Notes: Expresses a prayer or plea.
19. נָא (na) – Root: —; Form: Particle of entreaty; Translation: “please”; Notes: Softens the request.
20. יָדְךָ (yadkha) – Root: יד; Form: Noun feminine singular + 2ms suffix; Translation: “Your hand”; Notes: Refers to YHWH’s power or judgment.
21. בִּי (bi) – Root: ב; Form: Preposition + 1cs suffix; Translation: “upon me”; Notes: Dawid offers himself.
22. וּבְבֵית אָבִי (u-ve-veit avi) – Root: בית, אב; Form: Conjunction + construct noun + construct noun with 1cs suffix; Translation: “and upon my father’s house”; Notes: Broadens the request to include his lineage.