וְאִם־אֶל־עִיר֙ יֵֽאָסֵ֔ף וְהִשִּׂ֧יאוּ כָֽל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל אֶל־הָעִ֥יר הַהִ֖יא חֲבָלִ֑ים וְסָחַ֤בְנוּ אֹתֹו֙ עַד־הַנַּ֔חַל עַ֛ד אֲשֶֽׁר־לֹא־נִמְצָ֥א שָׁ֖ם גַּם־צְרֹֽור׃ פ
And if he withdraws into a city, then all Yisraʾel shall bring ropes to that city, and we shall drag it down into the wadi, until not even a pebble is found there.
Morphology
- וְאִם־ (ve-im) – Root: אם; Form: Conjunction + conditional particle; Translation: “And if”; Notes: Introduces a hypothetical clause.
- אֶל־עִיר֙ (el-ʿir) – Root: אל, עיר; Form: Preposition + feminine singular noun; Translation: “into a city”; Notes: Indicates possible refuge location.
- יֵֽאָסֵ֔ף (yeʾasef) – Root: אסף; Form: Niphal imperfect 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “he withdraws” or “is gathered”; Notes: Passive future action.
- וְהִשִּׂ֧יאוּ (ve-hissiʾu) – Root: נשא; Form: Hifil perfect 3rd plural with vav-consecutive; Translation: “then they shall carry” or “bring”; Notes: Future sense through vav-consecutive.
- כָֽל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל (kol-Yisraʾel) – Root: כל, ישראל; Form: Noun + proper noun; Translation: “all Yisraʾel”; Notes: Collective subject.
- אֶל־הָעִ֥יר (el-haʿir) – Root: עיר; Form: Preposition + definite noun, feminine singular; Translation: “to the city”; Notes: Specific target city.
- הַהִ֖יא (hahi) – Root: הוא; Form: Demonstrative pronoun, feminine singular; Translation: “that”; Notes: Identifies the city previously mentioned.
- חֲבָלִ֑ים (ḥavalim) – Root: חבל; Form: Noun, masculine plural; Translation: “ropes”; Notes: Tools for pulling or dragging.
- וְסָחַ֤בְנוּ (ve-saḥavnu) – Root: סחב; Form: Qal perfect 1st person plural with vav-consecutive; Translation: “and we shall drag”; Notes: Future by vav-consecutive.
- אֹתֹו֙ (oto) – Root: את; Form: Direct object marker with 3ms suffix; Translation: “it” (referring to the city); Notes: Direct object of “drag.”
- עַד־הַנַּ֔חַל (ʿad-ha-naḥal) – Root: נחל; Form: Preposition + definite noun, masculine singular; Translation: “to the wadi”; Notes: Destination of the dragging.
- עַ֛ד (ʿad) – Root: עד; Form: Preposition; Translation: “until”; Notes: Precedes condition of completion.
- אֲשֶֽׁר־לֹא־נִמְצָ֥א (asher-lo-nimtza) – Root: מצא; Form: Relative pronoun + negation + Niphal imperfect 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “until there is not found”; Notes: Result clause.
- שָׁ֖ם (sham) – Root: שם; Form: Adverb; Translation: “there”; Notes: Refers to the location of the city.
- גַּם־צְרֹֽור (gam-tseror) – Root: צרר; Form: Adverb + noun, masculine singular; Translation: “even a pebble”; Notes: Hyperbolic expression meaning total annihilation.