וְאַרְבָּעָ֧ה אֲנָשִׁ֛ים הָי֥וּ מְצֹרָעִ֖ים פֶּ֣תַח הַשָּׁ֑עַר וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ אִ֣ישׁ אֶל־רֵעֵ֔הוּ מָ֗ה אֲנַ֛חְנוּ יֹשְׁבִ֥ים פֹּ֖ה עַד־מָֽתְנוּ׃
And four men were leprous at the entrance of the gate, and they said one to another, “Why are we sitting here until we die?
Morphology
- וְאַרְבָּעָה (ve-arbaʿah) – Root: ארבע; Form: Conjunction + cardinal number masculine singular; Translation: “And four”; Notes: Introduces a group of four individuals.
- אֲנָשִׁים (ʾanashim) – Root: אנש; Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “men”; Notes: Refers to adult males.
- הָיוּ (hayu) – Root: היה; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “were”; Notes: Describes their state or condition.
- מְצֹרָעִים (metzoraʿim) – Root: צרע; Form: Pual participle masculine plural; Translation: “leprous”; Notes: Indicates affliction with a skin disease rendering them unclean.
- פֶּתַח (petach) – Root: פתח; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “entrance”; Notes: Refers to the opening or threshold of the gate.
- הַשָּׁעַר (ha-shaʿar) – Root: שער; Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the gate”; Notes: City gates were common places for public activity and decision-making.
- וַיֹּאמְרוּ (va-yomru) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “and they said”; Notes: Introduces dialogue between the men.
- אִישׁ (ʾish) – Root: איש; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “a man”; Notes: Used here to express “each man.”
- אֶל־רֵעֵהוּ (ʾel-reʿehu) – Root: רעע; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “to his fellow”; Notes: Indicates mutual conversation.
- מָה (mah) – Root: מה; Form: Interrogative pronoun; Translation: “Why”; Notes: Introduces a question of reasoning or purpose.
- אֲנַחְנוּ (ʾanachnu) – Root: אנח; Form: Independent pronoun 1st person plural; Translation: “we”; Notes: Subject of the rhetorical question.
- יֹשְׁבִים (yoshevim) – Root: ישׁב; Form: Qal participle masculine plural; Translation: “sitting”; Notes: Indicates ongoing inaction.
- פֹּה (po) – Root: פה; Form: Adverb of place; Translation: “here”; Notes: Refers to their current location outside the gate.
- עַד (ʿad) – Root: עד; Form: Preposition; Translation: “until”; Notes: Marks the limit of the action.
- מָתְנוּ (matnu) – Root: מות; Form: Qal perfect 1st person plural; Translation: “we die”; Notes: Expresses their expectation of inevitable death if they remain inactive.