בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֔ם הֵחֵ֣ל יְהוָ֔ה לְקַצֹּ֖ות בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיַּכֵּ֥ם חֲזָאֵ֖ל בְּכָל־גְּב֥וּל יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
In those days YHWH began to cut off from Yisraʾel, and Ḥazaʾel struck them in all the border of Yisraʾel.
Morphology
- בַּיָּמִים (ba-yamim) – Root: יום (y-w-m); Form: Preposition + definite plural noun; Translation: “In the days”; Notes: Temporal setting for the narrative.
- הָהֵם (ha-hem) – Root: הוא (h-w-ʾ); Form: Definite article + demonstrative pronoun masculine plural; Translation: “those”; Notes: Refers to a specific past period of judgment.
- הֵחֵל (heḥel) – Root: חלל (ḥ-l-l); Form: Hifil perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “began”; Notes: Introduces the beginning of a divine action.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) – Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: Subject of the verb “began.”
- לְקַצֹּות (le-qatstsot) – Root: קצץ (q-ts-ts); Form: Preposition + Piel infinitive construct; Translation: “to cut off”; Notes: Refers to YHWH diminishing or reducing the nation.
- בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל (be-Yisraʾel) – Root: ישראל (y-s-r-ʾ-l); Form: Preposition + proper noun; Translation: “from Yisraʾel” or “in Yisraʾel”; Notes: The object of divine judgment.
- וַיַּכֵּם (va-yakkem) – Root: נכה (n-k-h); Form: Hifil wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “and he struck them”; Notes: Ḥazaʾel is the subject; Yisraʾel is the object.
- חֲזָאֵל (Ḥazaʾel) – Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Ḥazaʾel”; Notes: King of Aram-Dammesek, used by YHWH as an instrument of judgment.
- בְּכָל־גְּבוּל (be-khol-gevul) – Root: גבול (g-b-v-l); Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “in all the border of”; Notes: Indicates the extent of the assault.
- יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisraʾel) – Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yisraʾel”; Notes: Specifies the northern kingdom as the target of Ḥazaʾel’s aggression.