וַיֹּ֣אמֶר הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ מַה־לִּ֥י וְלָכֶ֖ם בְּנֵ֣י צְרֻיָ֑ה כִּי יְקַלֵּ֗ל וְכִי יְהוָה֙ אָ֤מַר לֹו֙ קַלֵּ֣ל אֶת־דָּוִ֔ד וּמִ֣י יֹאמַ֔ר מַדּ֖וּעַ עָשִׂ֥יתָה כֵּֽן׃ ס
And the king said, “What is it to me and to you, sons of Tseruya? For he curses—indeed, YHWH has said to him, ‘Curse Dawid.’ And who shall say, ‘Why have you done thus?’”
Morphology
- וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (vayyomer) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal wayyiqtol, 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “And he said”; Notes: Refers to the king speaking, i.e., Dawid.
- הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ (ha-melekh) – Root: מלך; Form: Definite noun, masculine singular; Translation: “the king”; Notes: Subject of the verb “said.”
- מַה־לִּ֥י (mah-li) – Root: מה; Form: Interrogative + preposition + 1cs suffix; Translation: “What is [it] to me”; Notes: Idiomatic expression of objection or distance.
- וְלָכֶ֖ם (ve-lakhem) – Root: ל־; Form: Conjunction + preposition + 2mp suffix; Translation: “and to you”; Notes: Continuing the idiomatic phrase.
- בְּנֵ֣י צְרֻיָ֑ה (benei-Tseruyah) – Root: בן, צרויה; Form: Construct noun + proper noun; Translation: “sons of Tseruyah”; Notes: Refers to Avishai and Yoʾav, Dawid’s nephews.
- כִּי (ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for/because”; Notes: Causal explanation.
- יְקַלֵּ֗ל (yekallel) – Root: קלל; Form: Piel imperfect 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “he curses”; Notes: Refers to Shimʿi’s action.
- וְכִי (ve-ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “indeed” or “for even”; Notes: Reinforces what follows.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) – Root: יהוה; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: Subject of the next verb.
- אָמַר (amar) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal perfect 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “said”; Notes: Introduces divine speech.
- לֹו (lo) – Root: ל־; Form: Preposition + 3ms suffix; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Indirect object of “said.”
- קַלֵּ֣ל (kallel) – Root: קלל; Form: Piel imperative masculine singular; Translation: “Curse!”; Notes: Quoted divine command.
- אֶת־דָּוִ֔ד (et-Dawid) – Root: דוד; Form: Object marker + proper noun; Translation: “Dawid”; Notes: Target of the curse.
- וּמִ֣י (u-mi) – Root: מי; Form: Interrogative pronoun with conjunction; Translation: “And who?”; Notes: Rhetorical question.
- יֹאמַ֔ר (yomar) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “shall say”; Notes: Verb within rhetorical question.
- מַדּ֖וּעַ (maddua) – Root: ידע (from דּוּעַ, a form of “know” or “reason”); Form: Interrogative adverb; Translation: “why?”; Notes: Questioning divine purpose.
- עָשִׂ֥יתָ (ʿasita) – Root: עשה; Form: Qal perfect 2nd masculine singular; Translation: “have you done”; Notes: Directed toward YHWH implicitly.
- כֵּן (ken) – Root: כן; Form: Adverb; Translation: “thus”; Notes: Refers to the command to curse.