וַֽיְהִי֙ כִּשְׁמֹ֣עַ הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֖י סֵ֣פֶר הַתֹּורָ֑ה וַיִּקְרַ֖ע אֶת־בְּגָדָֽיו׃
And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the scroll of the Torah, that he tore his garments.
Morphology
- וַֽיְהִי֙ (va-yehi) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And it came to pass”; Notes: Standard narrative formula introducing a significant event.
- כִּשְׁמֹ֣עַ (ki-shmoaʿ) – Root: שמע (shamaʿ); Form: Conjunction כי + infinitive construct; Translation: “when [he] heard”; Notes: Temporal clause introducing the reaction of the king.
- הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ (ha-melekh) – Root: מלך (melekh); Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the king”; Notes: Refers to King Yoshiyahu.
- אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֖י (et-divrei) – Root: דבר (davar); Form: Direct object marker + construct noun masculine plural; Translation: “the words of”; Notes: Refers to the content of the scroll.
- סֵ֣פֶר הַתֹּורָ֑ה (sefer ha-torah) – Root: ספר (sefer), ירה (torah); Form: Construct noun + definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “the scroll of the Torah”; Notes: The discovered legal text, likely Deuteronomy or a portion thereof.
- וַיִּקְרַ֖ע (va-yiqraʿ) – Root: קרע (qaraʿ); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “that he tore”; Notes: Symbolic act of mourning, horror, or repentance.
- אֶת־בְּגָדָֽיו (et-begadav) – Root: בגד (beged); Form: Direct object marker + noun masculine plural with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “his garments”; Notes: Expresses intense emotional response to hearing the Torah’s warnings.