וַיֹּ֨אמֶר הָעָ֜ם לֹ֣א תֵצֵ֗א כִּי֩ אִם־נֹ֨ס נָנ֜וּס לֹא־יָשִׂ֧ימוּ אֵלֵ֣ינוּ לֵ֗ב וְאִם־יָמֻ֤תוּ חֶצְיֵ֨נוּ֙ לֹֽא־יָשִׂ֤ימוּ אֵלֵ֨ינוּ֙ לֵ֔ב כִּֽי־עַתָּ֥ה כָמֹ֖נוּ עֲשָׂרָ֣ה אֲלָפִ֑ים וְעַתָּ֣ה ט֔וֹב כִּי־תִֽהְיֶה־לָּ֥נוּ מֵעִ֖יר לַעְזֹֽיר׃
But the people said, “You shall not go out, for if we flee, they will not set their heart on us, and if half of us die, they will not set their heart on us; for now, you are worth ten thousand of us. And now, it is better that you be from the city to help us.”
Morphology
- וַיֹּ֨אמֶר (vayyomer) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “And said”; Notes: Introduces direct speech.
- הָעָ֜ם (ha-ʿam) – Root: עם; Form: Noun, masculine singular with article; Translation: “the people”; Notes: Subject of the speech.
- לֹ֣א תֵצֵ֗א (lo tetse) – Root: יצא; Form: Qal imperfect 2nd masculine singular + negative; Translation: “you shall not go out”; Notes: Direct prohibition to Dawid.
- כִּי֩ (ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for”; Notes: Gives reason.
- אִם־נֹ֨ס נָנ֜וּס (im-nos nanus) – Root: נוס; Form: Conditional particle + Qal infinitive absolute + Qal imperfect 1st plural; Translation: “if we flee indeed”; Notes: Infinitive absolute intensifies the verb.
- לֹא־יָשִׂ֧ימוּ אֵלֵ֣ינוּ לֵ֗ב (lo-yasimu eleinu lev) – Root: שים; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd masculine plural + preposition + noun; Translation: “they will not set heart on us”; Notes: Idiom meaning “they will not care.”
- וְאִם־יָמֻ֤תוּ (ve-im-yamutu) – Root: מות; Form: Conjunction + conditional + Qal imperfect 3rd masculine plural; Translation: “and if half of us die”; Notes: Another hypothetical clause.
- חֶצְיֵ֨נוּ (ḥetsyenu) – Root: חצי; Form: Noun, masculine singular construct + 1st person plural suffix; Translation: “our half”; Notes: Possessive construct.
- לֹֽא־יָשִׂ֤ימוּ אֵלֵ֨ינוּ֙ לֵ֔ב (lo-yasimu eleinu lev) – See above.
- כִּֽי־עַתָּ֥ה (ki-ʿattah) – Root: כי, עתה; Form: Conjunction + adverb; Translation: “for now”; Notes: Emphasizes current condition.
- כָמֹ֖נוּ (kamonu) – Root: כמו; Form: Preposition with 1st person plural suffix; Translation: “as we”; Notes: Used in a simile.
- עֲשָׂרָ֣ה אֲלָפִ֑ים (ʿasarah alafim) – Root: עשר, אלף; Form: Cardinal numbers; Translation: “ten thousand”; Notes: Numerical emphasis of Dawid’s value.
- וְעַתָּ֣ה (ve-ʿattah) – Root: עתה; Form: Adverb with conjunction; Translation: “and now”; Notes: Shift in reasoning.
- ט֔וֹב (tov) – Root: טוב; Form: Adjective, masculine singular; Translation: “better”; Notes: Expresses preference.
- כִּֽי־תִֽהְיֶה־לָּ֥נוּ (ki-tiḥyeh-lanu) – Root: היה; Form: Conjunction + Qal imperfect 3rd feminine singular + preposition + 1st person plural; Translation: “that you be for us”; Notes: Expresses desirable action.
- מֵעִ֖יר (meʿir) – Root: עיר; Form: Preposition + noun feminine singular; Translation: “from the city”; Notes: Locative indication.
- לַעְזֹֽיר (laʿazor) – Root: עזר; Form: Infinitive construct with preposition; Translation: “to help”; Notes: Purpose clause.