וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לֹו֙ יְהֹ֣ונָדָ֔ב שְׁכַ֥ב עַל־מִשְׁכָּבְךָ֖ וְהִתְחָ֑ל וּבָ֧א אָבִ֣יךָ לִרְאֹותֶ֗ךָ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֵלָ֡יו תָּ֣בֹא נָא֩ תָמָ֨ר אֲחֹותִ֜י וְתַבְרֵ֣נִי לֶ֗חֶם וְעָשְׂתָ֤ה לְעֵינַי֙ אֶת־הַבִּרְיָ֔ה לְמַ֨עַן֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶרְאֶ֔ה וְאָכַלְתִּ֖י מִיָּדָֽהּ׃
And Yehonadav said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be sick, and your father will come to see you. Then you shall say to him, ‘Please let Tamar my sister come and prepare food for me, and she shall make the dish before my eyes, so that I may see it and eat from her hand.’”
Morphology
- וַיֹּ֤אמֶר (vayyomer) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3ms; Translation: “And he said”; Notes: Typical narrative introductory verb.
- לֹו (lo) – Root: אל; Form: Preposition + 3ms suffix; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Amnon.
- יְהֹונָדָב (Yehonadav) – Root: יהונדב; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yehonadav”; Notes: Cousin and friend of Amnon.
- שְׁכַ֥ב (shekhav) – Root: שׁכב; Form: Qal imperative 2ms; Translation: “Lie down”; Notes: Direct command.
- עַל־מִשְׁכָּבְךָ (ʿal-mishkavkha) – Root: שׁכב; Form: Preposition + noun + 2ms suffix; Translation: “on your bed”; Notes: Common phrase for reclining or illness.
- וְהִתְחָל (vehitḥal) – Root: חלה; Form: Hitpaʿel imperative 2ms; Translation: “and pretend to be sick”; Notes: Reflexive action, deceptive in intent.
- וּבָא (uva) – Root: בוא; Form: Qal perfect 3ms with vav; Translation: “and he will come”; Notes: Future prediction rendered in perfect form.
- אָבִיךָ (avikha) – Root: אב; Form: Noun + 2ms suffix; Translation: “your father”; Notes: Refers to King Dawid.
- לִרְאֹותֶךָ (lirʾotekha) – Root: ראה; Form: Infinitive construct + 2ms suffix; Translation: “to see you”; Notes: Purpose clause.
- וְאָמַרְתָּ (veʾamarta) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal perfect 2ms with vav; Translation: “then you shall say”; Notes: Sequential action.
- אֵלָיו (elav) – Root: אל; Form: Preposition + 3ms suffix; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Dawid again.
- תָּבֹא נָא (tavo-na) – Root: בוא; Form: Qal jussive 3fs + particle of entreaty; Translation: “let her come, please”; Notes: Courteous request.
- תָמָר (Tamar) – Root: תמר; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Tamar”; Notes: Amnon’s sister.
- אֲחֹותִי (aḥoti) – Root: אחות; Form: Noun + 1cs suffix; Translation: “my sister”; Notes: Emphasizes personal relation.
- וְתַבְרֵנִי (vetavreni) – Root: ברא (or ברר); Form: Piel imperfect 3fs + 1cs suffix; Translation: “and prepare for me”; Notes: Culinary term possibly related to “knead” or “form food.”
- לֶחֶם (leḥem) – Root: לחם; Form: Noun, masculine singular; Translation: “bread” or “food”; Notes: Generic term for food.
- וְעָשְׂתָה (veʿaseta) – Root: עשה; Form: Qal perfect 3fs with vav; Translation: “and she shall make”; Notes: Continued request.
- לְעֵינַי (leʿeinai) – Root: עין; Form: Preposition + dual noun + 1cs suffix; Translation: “before my eyes”; Notes: Denotes observation.
- אֶת־הַבִּרְיָה (et-habirya) – Root: ברא or ברר; Form: Noun, feminine singular definite; Translation: “the dish” or “the prepared item”; Notes: Rare term, possibly a special type of food.
- לְמַעַן (lemaʿan) – Root: מען; Form: Preposition; Translation: “so that”; Notes: Purpose clause marker.
- אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) – Root: –; Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “that” or “so that”; Notes: Introduces relative clause.
- אֶרְאֶה (erʾeh) – Root: ראה; Form: Qal imperfect 1cs; Translation: “I may see”; Notes: First person goal.
- וְאָכַלְתִּי (veʾakhalti) – Root: אכל; Form: Qal perfect 1cs with vav; Translation: “and I shall eat”; Notes: Concluding action of the request.
- מִיָּדָהּ (miyyadah) – Root: יד; Form: Preposition + noun + 3fs suffix; Translation: “from her hand”; Notes: Emphasizes direct service.