וְדָוִ֥ד יֹושֵׁ֖ב בֵּין־שְׁנֵ֣י הַשְּׁעָרִ֑ים וַיֵּ֨לֶךְ הַצֹּפֶ֜ה אֶל־גַּ֤ג הַשַּׁ֨עַר֙ אֶל־הַ֣חֹומָ֔ה וַיִּשָּׂ֤א אֶת־עֵינָיו֙ וַיַּ֔רְא וְהִנֵּה־אִ֖ישׁ רָ֥ץ לְבַדֹּֽו׃
And Dawid was sitting between the two gates, and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate, to the wall, and lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, a man running alone.
Morphology
- וְדָוִד (ve-Dawid) – Root: דוד; Form: Conjunction + proper noun; Translation: “And Dawid”; Notes: Subject of the first clause.
- יֹושֵׁב (yoshev) – Root: ישׁב; Form: Qal participle masculine singular; Translation: “was sitting”; Notes: Describes Dawid’s current state.
- בֵּין־שְׁנֵי (bein-shenei) – Root: בין, שנים; Form: Preposition + dual construct form; Translation: “between two”; Notes: Indicates position.
- הַשְּׁעָרִים (ha-sheʿarim) – Root: שער; Form: Definite noun masculine plural; Translation: “the gates”; Notes: Likely inner and outer city gates.
- וַיֵּלֶךְ (vayyelekh) – Root: הלך; Form: Wayyiqtol Qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “and he went”; Notes: Narrative sequence action.
- הַצֹּפֶה (ha-tsofeh) – Root: צפה; Form: Definite Qal active participle masculine singular; Translation: “the watchman”; Notes: One assigned to look out from the wall.
- אֶל־גַּג (el-gag) – Root: גג; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “to the roof of”; Notes: Directional phrase.
- הַשַּׁעַר (ha-shaʿar) – Root: שער; Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the gate”; Notes: Specifies which roof.
- אֶל־הַחֹומָה (el-ha-ḥomah) – Root: חמה; Form: Preposition + definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “to the wall”; Notes: Clarifies location further.
- וַיִּשָּׂא (vayyissa) – Root: נשא; Form: Wayyiqtol Qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “and he lifted up”; Notes: Common idiom with “eyes.”
- אֶת־עֵינָיו (et-ʿeinav) – Root: עין; Form: Direct object marker + noun feminine plural with 3rd masculine singular suffix; Translation: “his eyes”; Notes: Object of lifting.
- וַיַּרְא (vayyarʾ) – Root: ראה; Form: Wayyiqtol Qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “and he saw”; Notes: Follow-up to lifting his eyes.
- וְהִנֵּה (ve-hinneh) – Root: הנה; Form: Interjection; Translation: “and behold”; Notes: Emphatic attention to what is seen.
- אִישׁ (ʾish) – Root: אישׁ; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “a man”; Notes: The runner seen by the watchman.
- רָץ (raṣ) – Root: רוץ; Form: Qal active participle masculine singular; Translation: “running”; Notes: Describes the action of the man.
- לְבַדּוֹ (levaddo) – Root: בדד; Form: Preposition + noun with 3rd masculine singular suffix; Translation: “alone”; Notes: Emphasizes he was running by himself.