2 Samuel 12:22

וַיֹּ֕אמֶר בְּעֹוד֙ הַיֶּ֣לֶד חַ֔י צַ֖מְתִּי וָֽאֶבְכֶּ֑ה כִּ֤י אָמַ֨רְתִּי֙ מִ֣י יֹודֵ֔עַ יְחֻנַּ֥נִי יְהוָ֖ה וְחַ֥י הַיָּֽלֶד׃

And he said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows? YHWH may be gracious to me, and the child will live.’

Morphology

1. וַיֹּ֕אמֶר (vayyomer) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And he said”; Notes: Introduces Dawid’s explanation.
2. בְּעֹוד֙ (beʿod) – Root: עוד; Form: Preposition with infinitive construct; Translation: “while still”; Notes: Indicates ongoing action.
3. הַיֶּ֣לֶד (hayeled) – Root: ילד; Form: Noun masculine singular with article; Translation: “the child”; Notes: Subject of the clause.
4. חַ֔י (ḥai) – Root: חי; Form: Adjective masculine singular; Translation: “alive”; Notes: Describes the state of the child.
5. צַ֖מְתִּי (tsamti) – Root: צום; Form: Qal perfect 1st person common singular; Translation: “I fasted”; Notes: Volitional act of mourning.
6. וָֽאֶבְכֶּ֑ה (vaʾevkeh) – Root: בכה; Form: Qal imperfect 1st person common singular with vav-consecutive; Translation: “and I wept”; Notes: Emphasizes continuous sorrow.
7. כִּ֤י (ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for”; Notes: Introduces explanation.
8. אָמַ֨רְתִּי֙ (amarti) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal perfect 1st person common singular; Translation: “I said”; Notes: Dawid’s internal reasoning.
9. מִ֣י (mi) – Root: מי; Form: Interrogative pronoun; Translation: “Who”; Notes: Expresses uncertainty.
10. יֹודֵ֔עַ (yodeaʿ) – Root: ידע; Form: Qal participle masculine singular; Translation: “knows”; Notes: Used rhetorically here.
11. יְחֻנַּ֥נִי (yeḥunnani) – Root: חנן; Form: Pual imperfect 3rd person masculine singular + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “he may be gracious to me”; Notes: Expresses hope in divine mercy.
12. יְהוָ֖ה (YHWH) – Root: יהוה; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: Subject of the verb “be gracious.”
13. וְחַ֥י (veḥai) – Root: חי; Form: Qal perfect or jussive 3rd person masculine singular with vav-consecutive; Translation: “and live”; Notes: Subjunctive sense—”that the child may live.”
14. הַיָּֽלֶד (hayeled) – Root: ילד; Form: Noun masculine singular with article; Translation: “the child”; Notes: Repeated subject for emphasis.