וַיְהִ֨י רָעָ֤ב גָּדֹול֙ בְּשֹׁ֣מְרֹ֔ון וְהִנֵּ֖ה צָרִ֣ים עָלֶ֑יהָ עַ֣ד הֱיֹ֤ות רֹאשׁ־חֲמֹור֙ בִּשְׁמֹנִ֣ים כֶּ֔סֶף וְרֹ֛בַע הַקַּ֥ב חֲרֵֽי־יֹונִ֖ים בַּחֲמִשָּׁה־כָֽסֶף׃
And there was a great famine in Shomeron, and behold, they were besieging it until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty pieces of silver, and a fourth of a qav of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver.
Morphology
- וַיְהִ֨י (va-yehi) – Root: היה; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “And it came to pass”; Notes: Introduces a narrative clause.
- רָעָ֤ב (raʿav) – Root: רעב; Form: Noun masculine singular absolute; Translation: “famine”; Notes: Refers to severe food shortage.
- גָּדֹול (gadol) – Root: גדל; Form: Adjective masculine singular; Translation: “great”; Notes: Qualifies the severity of the famine.
- בְּשֹׁ֣מְרֹ֔ון (be-Shomeron) – Root: שמר; Form: Preposition + proper noun; Translation: “in Shomeron”; Notes: Refers to Samaria, capital of Yisra’el.
- וְהִנֵּ֖ה (ve-hinneh) – Root: הנה; Form: Interjection; Translation: “and behold”; Notes: Introduces dramatic or significant detail.
- צָרִ֣ים (tsarim) – Root: צור; Form: Qal participle masculine plural; Translation: “they were besieging”; Notes: Ongoing military action.
- עָלֶ֑יהָ (ʿaleha) – Root: על; Form: Preposition + 3rd feminine singular suffix; Translation: “against it”; Notes: Refers to the city Shomeron.
- עַ֣ד (ʿad) – Root: עד; Form: Preposition; Translation: “until”; Notes: Indicates duration or consequence.
- הֱיֹ֤ות (heyot) – Root: היה; Form: Infinitive construct; Translation: “being”; Notes: Linked with the following noun phrase.
- רֹאשׁ־חֲמֹור (rosh-ḥamor) – Root: ראשׁ, חמור; Form: Construct chain: noun + noun; Translation: “a donkey’s head”; Notes: Emphasizes scarcity and desperation.
- בִּשְׁמֹנִ֣ים (bishmonim) – Root: שׁמן; Form: Preposition + numeral masculine plural; Translation: “for eighty”; Notes: Price indicator.
- כֶּ֔סֶף (kesef) – Root: כסף; Form: Noun masculine singular absolute; Translation: “pieces of silver”; Notes: Currency or weight of silver.
- וְרֹ֛בַע (ve-rovaʿ) – Root: רבע; Form: Conjunction + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and a quarter”; Notes: A quarter measure.
- הַקַּ֥ב (ha-qav) – Root: קבב; Form: Noun masculine singular with definite article; Translation: “of the qav”; Notes: A dry volume measure (~1.1 liters).
- חֲרֵֽי־יֹונִ֖ים (ḥarei-yonim) – Root: חרה, יונה; Form: Construct chain: noun plural + noun plural; Translation: “dove’s dung”; Notes: Likely literal, or possibly a nickname for a cheap seed pod or refuse.
- בַּחֲמִשָּׁה־כָֽסֶף (ba-ḥamishah-kasef) – Root: חמשׁ, כסף; Form: Preposition + numeral + noun; Translation: “for five pieces of silver”; Notes: Indicates steep inflation during famine.