וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יֹואָ֜ב אֶל־הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ וְיֹוסֵ֣ף יְהוָה֩ אֱלֹהֶ֨יךָ אֶל־הָעָ֜ם כָּהֵ֤ם וְכָהֵם֙ מֵאָ֣ה פְעָמִ֔ים וְעֵינֵ֥י אֲדֹנִֽי־הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ רֹאֹ֑ות וַאדֹנִ֣י הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ לָ֥מָּה חָפֵ֖ץ בַּדָּבָ֥ר הַזֶּֽה׃
And Yoʾav said to the king, “May YHWH your God add to the people, however many they are, a hundredfold, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king desire this thing?”
Morphology
- וַיֹּאמֶר (vayyomer) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal wayyiqtol, 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “And he said”; Notes: Narrative verb introducing Yoʾav’s response.
- יֹואָב (Yoʾav) – Root: יואב; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yoʾav”; Notes: Commander of Dawid’s army.
- אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ (el-ha-melekh) – Root: מלך; Form: Preposition + definite noun; Translation: “to the king”; Notes: Refers to King Dawid.
- וְיֹוסֵף (veyosef) – Root: יסף; Form: Qal jussive, 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “may He add”; Notes: Expresses a wish or blessing.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) – Root: —; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The divine name.
- אֱלֹהֶיךָ (Elohekha) – Root: אל; Form: Noun with 2ms pronominal suffix; Translation: “your God”; Notes: Refers to the God of Dawid.
- אֶל־הָעָם (el-ha-ʿam) – Root: עם; Form: Preposition + definite noun; Translation: “to the people”; Notes: Object of the verb “add.”
- כָּהֵם וְכָהֵם (kahem ve-kahem) – Root: —; Form: Demonstrative repetition; Translation: “like them and like them”; Notes: Idiomatic for “however many they are.”
- מֵאָה (meʾah) – Root: מא; Form: Noun, feminine singular; Translation: “a hundred”; Notes: Specifies the multiplication factor.
- פְעָמִים (feʿamim) – Root: פעם; Form: Noun, feminine plural; Translation: “times”; Notes: Indicates multiplicity.
- וְעֵינֵי (ve-ʿeinei) – Root: עין; Form: Conjunction + construct plural; Translation: “and the eyes of”; Notes: Part of possessive phrase.
- אֲדֹנִי־הַמֶּלֶךְ (Adoni ha-melekh) – Root: אדן; Form: Construct phrase; Translation: “my lord the king”; Notes: Honorific address to Dawid.
- רֹאֹות (roʾot) – Root: ראה; Form: Qal participle, feminine plural; Translation: “seeing”; Notes: Describes the eyes actively perceiving.
- וַאדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ (va-adoni ha-melekh) – Root: אדן; Form: Conjunction + possessive phrase; Translation: “but my lord the king”; Notes: Reiteration of address.
- לָמָּה (lammah) – Root: —; Form: Interrogative; Translation: “why”; Notes: Introduces rhetorical question.
- חָפֵץ (ḥafets) – Root: חפץ; Form: Qal perfect, 3ms; Translation: “does he desire”; Notes: Verb of volition or will.
- בַּדָּבָר (ba-davar) – Root: דבר; Form: Preposition + definite noun; Translation: “in this thing”; Notes: Refers to the census.
- הַזֶּה (hazzeh) – Root: —; Form: Demonstrative pronoun, masculine singular; Translation: “this”; Notes: Specifies the topic under discussion.