וַיַּ֥עַל מֶֽלֶךְ־אַשּׁ֖וּר בְּכָל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וַיַּ֨עַל֙ שֹׁמְרֹ֔ון וַיָּ֥צַר עָלֶ֖יהָ שָׁלֹ֥שׁ שָׁנִֽים׃
And the king of Ashshur went up through all the land, and he went up to Shomeron and besieged it for three years.
Morphology
- וַיַּעַל (va-yaʿal) – Root: עלה (ʿalah); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And he went up”; Notes: Describes military advance or campaign.
- מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר (melekh-Ashshur) – Root: מלך (melekh) + אשׁור (Ashshur); Form: Construct phrase; Translation: “king of Ashshur”; Notes: Subject of the action, likely Shalmanʾeser or Sargon II.
- בְּכָל־הָאָרֶץ (be-khol ha-aretz) – Root: כל (kol) + ארץ (ʾerets); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun in construct with definite noun; Translation: “through all the land”; Notes: Refers to a sweeping invasion of the region.
- וַיַּעַל (va-yaʿal) – Root: עלה (ʿalah); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular (repeated verb); Translation: “and he went up”; Notes: Second ascent, now targeting Shomeron specifically.
- שֹׁמְרֹון (Shomeron) – Root: שׁמרון (Shomeron); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Shomeron”; Notes: Capital city of the northern kingdom, Yisraʾel.
- וַיָּצַר (va-yatsar) – Root: צור (tsur); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and he besieged”; Notes: Standard military term for laying siege.
- עָלֶיהָ (ʿaleha) – Root: על (ʿal); Form: Preposition עַל + 3rd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “against it”; Notes: Refers to Shomeron as a feminine city noun.
- שָׁלֹשׁ (shalosh) – Root: שלש (shalosh); Form: Number, feminine; Translation: “three”; Notes: Agrees in gender with “years.”
- שָׁנִים (shanīm) – Root: שׁנה (shanah); Form: Noun feminine plural; Translation: “years”; Notes: Completes the time expression for the siege duration.