וַיֹּֽאמֶר־לָ֥הּ הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ מַה־לָּ֑ךְ וַתֹּ֗אמֶר אֲבָ֛ל אִשָּֽׁה־אַלְמָנָ֥ה אָ֖נִי וַיָּ֥מָת אִישִֽׁי׃
And the king said to her, “What is with you?” And she said, “Truly, I am a widow woman, and my husband has died.
Morphology
- וַיֹּֽאמֶר־לָ֥הּ (va-yomer-lah) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular + preposition with 3rd feminine singular suffix; Translation: “And he said to her”; Notes: Refers to the king addressing the woman.
- הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ (ha-melekh) – Root: מלך (melekh); Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the king”; Notes: Subject of the verb.
- מַה־לָּ֑ךְ (mah-lakh) – Root: Interrogative + pronoun; Form: Interrogative pronoun + preposition with 2nd feminine singular suffix; Translation: “What is with you?”; Notes: Idiomatic for “What is troubling you?”
- וַתֹּ֗אמֶר (va-tomer) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “And she said”; Notes: Marks her reply to the king’s question.
- אֲבָ֛ל (aval) – Root: Interjection; Form: Adversative particle; Translation: “Truly” or “Indeed”; Notes: Emphasizes the sincerity or seriousness of her words.
- אִשָּֽׁה־אַלְמָנָ֥ה (ishah-almanah) – Root: אשה (ishah), אלמן (alman); Form: Noun feminine singular + adjective/noun in apposition; Translation: “a widow woman”; Notes: Appositional phrase indicating her status.
- אָ֖נִי (ani) – Root: Pronoun; Form: Independent personal pronoun 1st person singular; Translation: “I”; Notes: Emphasizes her self-identification.
- וַיָּ֥מָת (va-yamot) – Root: מות (mut); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and he died”; Notes: Refers to her husband’s death.
- אִישִֽׁי (ishi) – Root: אישׁ (ʾish); Form: Noun masculine singular + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “my husband”; Notes: Possessive construction identifying the deceased.