וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ לְמֶ֣לֶךְ אַשּׁוּר֮ לֵאמֹר֒ הַגֹּויִ֗ם אֲשֶׁ֤ר הִגְלִ֨יתָ֙ וַתֹּ֨ושֶׁב֙ בְּעָרֵ֣י שֹׁמְרֹ֔ון לֹ֣א יָֽדְע֔וּ אֶת־מִשְׁפַּ֖ט אֱלֹהֵ֣י הָאָ֑רֶץ וַיְשַׁלַּח־בָּ֣ם אֶת־הָאֲרָיֹ֗ות וְהִנָּם֙ מְמִיתִ֣ים אֹותָ֔ם כַּאֲשֶׁר֙ אֵינָ֣ם יֹדְעִ֔ים אֶת־מִשְׁפַּ֖ט אֱלֹהֵ֥י הָאָֽרֶץ׃
And they said to the king of Ashshur, saying, “The nations that you have exiled and settled in the cities of Shomeron do not know the judgment of the God of the land; and He has sent lions among them, and behold, they are killing them, because they do not know the judgment of the God of the land.”
Morphology
- וַיֹּאמְרוּ (va-yomru) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “And they said”; Notes: Introduction of reported speech.
- לְמֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר (le-melekh Ashshur) – Root: מלך (melekh) + אשׁור (Ashshur); Form: Preposition + construct noun + proper noun; Translation: “to the king of Ashshur”; Notes: Direct address to the Assyrian king.
- לֵאמֹר (leʾemor) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Infinitive construct; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Introduces the content of the speech.
- הַגֹּויִם (ha-goyim) – Root: גוי (goy); Form: Definite noun masculine plural; Translation: “the nations”; Notes: Refers to the peoples resettled in Shomeron.
- אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) – Root: אשר (ʾasher); Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “that”; Notes: Introduces a relative clause.
- הִגְלִיתָ (higlitah) – Root: גלה (galah); Form: Hifil perfect 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “you have exiled”; Notes: Addressed to the king, referring to forced resettlement.
- וַתֹּושֶׁב (va-toshev) – Root: ישׁב (yashav); Form: Hifil wayyiqtol 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “and you settled”; Notes: Causative—placing people in new territories.
- בְּעָרֵי שֹׁמְרֹון (be-ʿarei Shomeron) – Root: עיר (ʿir); Form: Preposition + plural construct noun + proper noun; Translation: “in the cities of Shomeron”; Notes: Location of resettlement.
- לֹא יָדְעוּ (lo yadʿu) – Root: ידע (yadaʿ); Form: Negative particle + Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they did not know”; Notes: Refers to ignorance of proper worship or legal expectations.
- אֶת־מִשְׁפַּט (et-mishpat) – Root: שׁפט (shafat); Form: Direct object marker + noun masculine singular; Translation: “the judgment of”; Notes: Refers to religious or covenantal ordinances.
- אֱלֹהֵי הָאָרֶץ (Elohei ha-aretz) – Root: אלוה (ʾEloah) + ארץ (ʾaretz); Form: Construct noun + definite noun; Translation: “the God of the land”; Notes: Acknowledgment of a territorial deity in ancient worldview.
- וַיְשַׁלַּח־בָּם (va-yeshallaḥ bam) – Root: שׁלח (shalaḥ); Form: Piel wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular + preposition + suffix; Translation: “and He sent among them”; Notes: Refers to divine punishment.
- אֶת־הָאֲרָיֹות (et-ha-ʾarayot) – Root: אריה (ʾari); Form: Direct object marker + definite noun plural; Translation: “the lions”; Notes: Instruments of divine judgment.
- וְהִנָּם מְמִיתִים אוֹתָם (ve-hinnam memitim otam) – Root: מות (mut); Form: Interjection + participle + object suffix; Translation: “and behold, they are killing them”; Notes: Ongoing deadly threat.
- כַּאֲשֶׁר אֵינָם יֹדְעִים (kaʾasher einam yodʿim) – Root: ידע (yadaʿ); Form: Comparative conjunction + negative pronoun + participle; Translation: “because they do not know”; Notes: Reason for divine judgment.
- אֶת־מִשְׁפַּט אֱלֹהֵי הָאָרֶץ (et-mishpat Elohei ha-aretz) – Repetition for emphasis; Translation: “the judgment of the God of the land.”