וַיָּבֹ֗אוּ וַֽיִּקְרְאוּ֮ אֶל־שֹׁעֵ֣ר הָעִיר֒ וַיַּגִּ֤ידוּ לָהֶם֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר בָּ֚אנוּ אֶל־מַחֲנֵ֣ה אֲרָ֔ם וְהִנֵּ֥ה אֵֽין־שָׁ֛ם אִ֖ישׁ וְקֹ֣ול אָדָ֑ם כִּ֣י אִם־הַסּ֤וּס אָסוּר֙ וְהַחֲמֹ֣ור אָס֔וּר וְאֹהָלִ֖ים כַּאֲשֶׁר־הֵֽמָּה׃
And they came and called to the gatekeeper of the city, and they told them, saying, “We came to the camp of Aram, and behold, there was no man there and no sound of a human, only the horse tied and the donkey tied, and the tents as they were.”
Morphology
- וַיָּבֹאוּ (va-yavoʾu) – Root: בוא; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “And they came”; Notes: Marks the arrival of the lepers at the city gate.
- וַיִּקְרְאוּ (va-yiqreʾu) – Root: קרא; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “and they called”; Notes: They raised their voices to announce news.
- אֶל־שֹׁעֵר (el-shoʿer) – Root: שׁער; Form: Preposition + participle noun masculine singular; Translation: “to the gatekeeper”; Notes: One who guards or controls entry to the city.
- הָעִיר (ha-ʿir) – Root: עיר; Form: Definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “the city”; Notes: Refers to the city of Shomeron.
- וַיַּגִּידוּ (va-yaggidu) – Root: נגד; Form: Hifil wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “and they told”; Notes: Causative of “to declare.”
- לָהֶם (lahem) – Root: הם; Form: Preposition + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “to them”; Notes: Likely refers to the city officials or guards.
- לֵאמֹר (leʾemor) – Root: אמר; Form: Infinitive construct; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Introduces the content of speech.
- בָּאנוּ (banu) – Root: בוא; Form: Qal perfect 1st person plural; Translation: “we came”; Notes: Reported speech from the lepers.
- אֶל־מַחֲנֵה אֲרָם (el-maḥaneh Aram) – Root: חנה, ארם; Form: Preposition + construct noun + proper noun; Translation: “to the camp of Aram”; Notes: Aramean military encampment.
- וְהִנֵּה (ve-hinneh) – Root: הנה; Form: Conjunction + interjection; Translation: “and behold”; Notes: Introduces surprise or emphasis.
- אֵין־שָׁם אִישׁ (ʾein-sham ish) – Root: אין, שׁם, איש; Form: Negative existential + adverb + noun masculine singular; Translation: “there was no man there”; Notes: Total abandonment of the camp.
- וְקֹול אָדָם (ve-qol adam) – Root: קול, אדם; Form: Conjunction + noun masculine singular (construct); Translation: “and no sound of a human”; Notes: Reinforces the silence and desertion.
- כִּי אִם (ki im) – Root: כי, אם; Form: Conjunction + exceptive particle; Translation: “except”; Notes: Introduces what remained.
- הַסּוּס אָסוּר (ha-sus asur) – Root: סוס, אסר; Form: Definite noun masculine singular + passive participle; Translation: “the horse tied”; Notes: Animals left bound at the camp.
- וְהַחֲמֹור אָסוּר (ve-haḥamor asur) – Root: חמר, אסר; Form: Conjunction + definite noun masculine singular + passive participle; Translation: “and the donkey tied”; Notes: Further emphasizes haste of abandonment.
- וְאֹהָלִים (ve-ohalim) – Root: אהל; Form: Conjunction + noun masculine plural; Translation: “and tents”; Notes: Tents remained untouched.
- כַּאֲשֶׁר־הֵמָּה (ka-asher hemmāh) – Root: אשׁר, הם; Form: Preposition + relative particle + pronoun masculine plural; Translation: “as they were”; Notes: Unchanged state of the camp structures.