מִקֹּ֨ול פָּרָ֜שׁ וְרֹ֣מֵה קֶ֗שֶׁת בֹּרַ֨חַת֙ כָּל־הָעִ֔יר בָּ֚אוּ בֶּעָבִ֔ים וּבַכֵּפִ֖ים עָל֑וּ כָּל־הָעִ֣יר עֲזוּבָ֔ה וְאֵין־יֹושֵׁ֥ב בָּהֵ֖ן אִֽישׁ׃
From the sound of the horseman and wielder of the bow, every city flees; they have entered into the thickets and gone up among the rocks. Every city is forsaken, and no man dwells in them.
Morphology
- מִקֹּ֨ול (mi-qol) – Root: קול (qol); Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “from the sound of”; Notes: Introduces the cause of panic.
- פָּרָ֜שׁ (parash) – Root: פרשׁ (parash); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “horseman”; Notes: Refers to cavalry or mounted warrior.
- וְרֹ֣מֵה (ve-romeh) – Root: רמה (ramah); Form: Conjunction + Qal participle masculine singular; Translation: “and wielder”; Notes: Describes one who uses a bow actively in battle.
- קֶ֗שֶׁת (qeshet) – Root: קשׁת (qeshet); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “bow”; Notes: Instrument of war, often paired with horsemen in poetic imagery.
- בֹּרַ֨חַת (borakhat) – Root: ברח (baraḥ); Form: Qal participle feminine singular; Translation: “flees”; Notes: Describes the collective feminine subject “every city.”
- כָּל־הָעִ֔יר (kol-ha-ʿir) – Root: עיר (ʿir); Form: Construct noun + definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “every city”; Notes: Emphasizes totality of the flight.
- בָּ֚אוּ (baʾu) – Root: בוא (boʾ); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they have entered”; Notes: Describes where the people have gone in their flight.
- בֶּעָבִ֔ים (be-ʿavim) – Root: עב (ʿav); Form: Preposition + noun masculine plural; Translation: “into the thickets”; Notes: Refers to overgrown, concealed areas for hiding.
- וּבַכֵּפִ֖ים (u-va-kefim) – Root: כף (kef); Form: Conjunction + preposition + noun masculine plural with article; Translation: “and among the rocks”; Notes: Suggests mountain refuges or rocky hideouts.
- עָל֑וּ (ʿalu) – Root: עלה (ʿalah); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they have gone up”; Notes: Indicates upward movement into higher, inaccessible terrain.
- כָּל־הָעִ֣יר (kol-ha-ʿir) – Root: עיר (ʿir); Form: Construct noun + definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “every city”; Notes: Repetition underscores the universal abandonment.
- עֲזוּבָ֔ה (ʿazuvah) – Root: עזב (ʿazav); Form: Qal passive participle feminine singular; Translation: “is forsaken”; Notes: Describes the state of the cities after the exodus.
- וְאֵין־יֹושֵׁ֥ב (ve-ein-yoshev) – Roots: אין (ʾein), ישׁב (yashav); Form: Negative particle + Qal participle masculine singular; Translation: “and no dweller”; Notes: There remains no inhabitant at all.
- בָּהֵ֖ן (ba-hen) – Root: הם (hem); Form: Preposition + 3rd person feminine plural suffix; Translation: “in them”; Notes: Refers back to the cities mentioned earlier.
- אִֽישׁ (ish) – Root: אישׁ (ʾish); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “man”; Notes: Emphatic—no man is left dwelling there.