וְהִכִּיתֶ֞ם כָּל־עִ֤יר מִבְצָר֙ וְכָל־עִ֣יר מִבְחֹ֔ור וְכָל־עֵ֥ץ טֹוב֙ תַּפִּ֔ילוּ וְכָל־מַעְיְנֵי־מַ֖יִם תִּסְתֹּ֑מוּ וְכֹל֙ הַחֶלְקָ֣ה הַטֹּובָ֔ה תַּכְאִ֖בוּ בָּאֲבָנִֽים׃
And you shall strike every fortified city, and every choice city, and every good tree you shall fell, and all springs of water you shall stop up, and every good portion of land you shall ruin with stones.”
Morphology
- וְהִכִּיתֶ֞ם (ve-hikkitem) – Root: נכה (nakah); Form: Conjunction + Hifil perfect 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “and you shall strike”; Notes: Command to attack or destroy.
- כָּל־עִ֤יר מִבְצָר֙ (kol-ʿir mivtsar) – Root: עיר + מבצר; Form: Construct phrase; Translation: “every fortified city”; Notes: Refers to cities with defenses.
- וְכָל־עִ֣יר מִבְחֹ֔ור (ve-kol-ʿir mivḥor) – Root: בחר; Form: Construct phrase; Translation: “and every choice city”; Notes: Cities of strategic or economic importance.
- וְכָל־עֵ֥ץ טֹוב֙ (ve-kol-ʿets tov) – Root: עץ + טוב; Form: Construct noun + adjective; Translation: “and every good tree”; Notes: Likely fruit-bearing or valuable trees.
- תַּפִּ֔ילוּ (tapilu) – Root: נפל (nafal); Form: Hifil imperfect 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “you shall fell”; Notes: Command to cut down.
- וְכָל־מַעְיְנֵי־מַ֖יִם (ve-kol-maʿyenei-mayim) – Root: מעין + מים; Form: Construct plural; Translation: “and all springs of water”; Notes: Refers to natural water sources.
- תִּסְתֹּ֑מוּ (tistomu) – Root: סתם (satham); Form: Qal imperfect 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “you shall stop up”; Notes: Instruction to block water flow.
- וְכֹל֙ הַחֶלְקָ֣ה הַטֹּובָ֔ה (ve-kol ha-ḥelqah ha-tovah) – Root: חלק; Form: Noun feminine singular + adjective; Translation: “and every good portion of land”; Notes: Refers to fertile agricultural land.
- תַּכְאִ֖בוּ (takheʾivu) – Root: כאב (kaʾav); Form: Hifil imperfect 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “you shall ruin”; Notes: Cause pain or damage, here in the sense of devastation.
- בָּאֲבָנִֽים (ba-ʾavanim) – Root: אבן (ʾeven); Form: Preposition + definite noun feminine plural; Translation: “with stones”; Notes: Method of ruining the land, possibly by stoning the fields.