וַיִּרְגַּ֣ז הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ וַיַּ֛עַל עַל־עֲלִיַּ֥ת הַשַּׁ֖עַר וַיֵּ֑בְךְּ וְכֹ֣ה אָמַ֣ר בְּלֶכְתֹּ֗ו בְּנִ֤י אַבְשָׁלֹום֙ בְּנִ֣י בְנִ֣י אַבְשָׁלֹ֔ום מִֽי־יִתֵּ֤ן מוּתִי֙ אֲנִ֣י תַחְתֶּ֔יךָ אַבְשָׁלֹ֖ום בְּנִ֥י בְנִֽי׃
And the king was shaken, and he went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And thus he said as he went, “My son Avshalom, my son, my son Avshalom! Would that I had died instead of you, Avshalom, my son, my son!”
Morphology
- וַיִּרְגַּז (vayyirgaz) – Root: רגז; Form: Wayyiqtol Qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “And he was shaken” / “And he trembled”; Notes: Indicates strong emotional agitation.
- הַמֶּלֶךְ (ha-melekh) – Root: מלך; Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the king”; Notes: Subject of the verb, King Dawid.
- וַיַּעַל (vayyaʿal) – Root: עלה; Form: Wayyiqtol Qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “and he went up”; Notes: Indicates movement to an upper level.
- עַל־עֲלִיַּת (ʿal-ʿaliyat) – Root: עלה; Form: Preposition + noun feminine singular construct; Translation: “to the upper chamber of”; Notes: Construct with “the gate.”
- הַשַּׁעַר (ha-shaʿar) – Root: שער; Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the gate”; Notes: City gate complex where judgments and mourning occurred.
- וַיֵּבְךְּ (vayyevk) – Root: בכה; Form: Wayyiqtol Qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “and he wept”; Notes: Expresses intense grief.
- וְכֹה (ve-koh) – Root: כה; Form: Conjunction + adverb; Translation: “and thus”; Notes: Introduces the manner of his speech.
- אָמַר (amar) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal perfect 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Refers to his repeated lamentation.
- בְּלֶכְתּוֹ (be-lekhto) – Root: הלך; Form: Preposition + Qal infinitive construct with 3rd masculine singular suffix; Translation: “as he went”; Notes: Temporal clause indicating ongoing action.
- בְּנִי (beni) – Root: בן; Form: Noun masculine singular with 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “my son”; Notes: Repeated throughout to express anguish.
- אַבְשָׁלֹום (Avshalom) – Root: אבשלום; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Avshalom”; Notes: Dawid’s son who had rebelled.
- מִי־יִתֵּן (mi-yitten) – Root: נתן; Form: Interrogative + Qal jussive 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “Would that” / “Who would give”; Notes: A Hebrew idiom expressing a wish.
- מוּתִי (muti) – Root: מות; Form: Noun masculine singular with 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “my death”; Notes: Object of the wish.
- אֲנִי (ani) – Root: אני; Form: Independent pronoun 1st person singular; Translation: “I”; Notes: Subject emphatic.
- תַחְתֶּיךָ (taḥtekha) – Root: תחת; Form: Preposition + 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “instead of you”; Notes: Expresses substitutional desire.