וַיֹּ֣אמֶר הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ הֲיַ֥ד יֹואָ֛ב אִתָּ֖ךְ בְּכָל־זֹ֑את וַתַּ֣עַן הָאִשָּׁ֣ה וַתֹּ֡אמֶר חֵֽי־נַפְשְׁךָ֩ אֲדֹנִ֨י הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ אִם־אִ֣שׁ לְהֵמִ֣ין וּלְהַשְׂמִ֗יל מִכֹּ֤ל אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּר֙ אֲדֹנִ֣י הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ כִּֽי־עַבְדְּךָ֤ יֹואָב֙ ה֣וּא צִוָּ֔נִי וְה֗וּא שָׂ֚ם בְּפִ֣י שִׁפְחָֽתְךָ֔ אֵ֥ת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִ֖ים הָאֵֽלֶּה׃
And the king said, “Is the hand of Yoʾav with you in all this?” And the woman answered and said, “As your soul lives, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken, for your servant Yoʾav—he is the one who commanded me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your maidservant.
Morphology
- וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (va-yomer) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “And he said”; Notes: Introductory verb for speech.
- הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ (ha-melekh) – Root: מלך; Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the king”; Notes: Speaker.
- הֲיַ֥ד (ha-yad) – Root: יד; Form: Interrogative + noun feminine singular; Translation: “Is the hand”; Notes: Idiomatic for involvement or influence.
- יֹואָ֛ב (Yoʾav) – Root: Proper noun; Form: Proper masculine name; Translation: “Yoʾav”; Notes: David’s military commander.
- אִתָּ֖ךְ (ittakh) – Root: את; Form: Preposition + 2nd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “with you”; Notes: Refers to the woman.
- בְּכָל־זֹ֑את (be-khol-zot) – Root: כל, זה; Form: Preposition + noun + demonstrative feminine; Translation: “in all this”; Notes: Refers to the entire plan or speech.
- וַתַּ֣עַן (va-taʿan) – Root: ענה; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd feminine singular; Translation: “And she answered”; Notes: Beginning of reply.
- הָאִשָּׁ֣ה (ha-ishah) – Root: אשה; Form: Definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “the woman”; Notes: Subject of the previous verb.
- וַתֹּ֡אמֶר (va-toʾmer) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd feminine singular; Translation: “and she said”; Notes: Continues her speech.
- חֵֽי־נַפְשְׁךָ֩ (ḥei-nafshekha) – Root: חיה, נפש; Form: Construct phrase; Translation: “as your soul lives”; Notes: Oath formula.
- אֲדֹנִ֨י הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ (adoni ha-melekh) – Root: אדן, מלך; Form: Construct phrase with possessive suffix; Translation: “my lord the king”; Notes: Respectful address.
- אִם־אִ֣שׁ (im-ish) – Root: אם, אשׁ; Form: Conditional + infinitive; Translation: “[none] could turn aside”; Notes: Negates the possibility of evasion.
- לְהֵמִ֣ין (le-hemin) – Root: ימן; Form: Hifil infinitive; Translation: “to the right”; Notes: Idiom for deviation or evasion.
- וּלְהַשְׂמִ֗יל (u-lehasmil) – Root: שׂמא; Form: Hifil infinitive; Translation: “or to the left”; Notes: Parallel structure with previous.
- מִכֹּ֤ל (mi-kol) – Root: כל; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “from all”; Notes: Partitive expression.
- אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּר֙ (asher-dibber) – Root: דבר; Form: Relative particle + Piel perfect 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “that my lord the king has spoken”; Notes: Refers to the king’s insight.
- אֲדֹנִ֣י הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ (adoni ha-melekh) – Same as above; Translation: “my lord the king.”
- כִּֽי־עַבְדְּךָ֤ (ki-avdekha) – Root: עבד; Form: Causal conjunction + noun with 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “for your servant”; Notes: Refers to Yoʾav.
- יֹואָב֙ (Yoʾav) – Same as above; Translation: “Yoʾav”.
- ה֣וּא צִוָּ֔נִי (hu tsivvani) – Root: צוה; Form: 3rd masculine singular pronoun + Piel perfect 3rd masculine singular with 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “he commanded me”; Notes: Indicates Yoʾav gave the plan.
- וְה֗וּא שָׂ֚ם (ve-hu sam) – Root: שׂום; Form: 3rd masculine singular pronoun + Qal perfect 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “and he put”; Notes: Refers to the speech’s authorship.
- בְּפִ֣י (be-fi) – Root: פה; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular with suffix; Translation: “in the mouth of”; Notes: Refers to her as the speaker.
- שִׁפְחָֽתְךָ֔ (shifḥatkha) – Same as previous; Translation: “your servant-woman”.
- אֵ֥ת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִ֖ים הָאֵֽלֶּה (et kol-ha-devarim ha-elleh) – Root: דבר; Form: Accusative marker + noun plural + definite article + demonstrative; Translation: “all these words”; Notes: The speech Yoʾav crafted.