וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ דָּ֣ם זֶ֔ה הָחֳרֵ֤ב נֶֽחֶרְבוּ֙ הַמְּלָכִ֔ים וַיַּכּ֖וּ אִ֣ישׁ אֶת־רֵעֵ֑הוּ וְעַתָּ֥ה לַשָּׁלָ֖ל מֹואָֽב׃
And they said, “This is blood; the kings have surely fought one another, and each has struck down his fellow. Now, Moʾav, to the spoil!”
Morphology
- וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ (va-yomru) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “And they said”; Notes: Refers to the Moʾavites responding to the sight of red water.
- דָּ֣ם (dam) – Root: דם; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “blood”; Notes: Their mistaken interpretation of what they saw.
- זֶ֔ה (zeh) – Root: זה; Form: Demonstrative pronoun masculine singular; Translation: “this”; Notes: Points to the red-colored water.
- הָחֳרֵ֤ב (haḥorev) – Root: חרב (ḥarav); Form: Nifal infinitive absolute or adjective (passive); Translation: “fought, destroyed”; Notes: May function idiomatically in context to describe internal conflict.
- נֶֽחֶרְבוּ֙ (neḥervu) – Root: חרב; Form: Nifal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they have been destroyed”; Notes: Interpreted by Moʾav as the result of infighting.
- הַמְּלָכִ֔ים (ha-melakhim) – Root: מלך; Form: Definite noun masculine plural; Translation: “the kings”; Notes: Refers to the allied kings of Yisraʾel, Yehudah, and Edom.
- וַיַּכּ֖וּ (va-yakku) – Root: נכה (nakah); Form: Hifil wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “and they struck”; Notes: Describes imagined mutual slaughter.
- אִ֣ישׁ (ish) – Root: איש; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “a man”; Notes: Subject of the mutual action.
- אֶת־רֵעֵ֑הוּ (et-reʿehu) – Root: רעה (reʿa); Form: Accusative marker + noun masculine singular construct + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “his fellow”; Notes: Describes civil war among the allies (as Moʾav imagines).
- וְעַתָּ֥ה (ve-ʿattah) – Root: עת; Form: Conjunction + adverb; Translation: “and now”; Notes: Urges immediate action.
- לַשָּׁלָ֖ל (la-shalal) – Root: שלל; Form: Preposition + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “to the spoil”; Notes: Rallying cry to plunder the supposed dead armies.
- מֹואָֽב (Moʾav) – Root: מואב; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Moʾav”; Notes: Vocative address to the nation to act quickly.