וַיָּשׁ֨וּבוּ֙ אַחֲרֵי־כֵ֔ן וַיָּשִׁ֗בוּ אֶת־הָֽעֲבָדִים֙ וְאֶת־הַשְּׁפָחֹ֔ות אֲשֶׁ֥ר שִׁלְּח֖וּ חָפְשִׁ֑ים וַיַּכְבִּשֻׁ֙ם֙ לַעֲבָדִ֖ים וְלִשְׁפָחֹֽות׃ ס
But afterward they turned back and took back the male servants and the female servants whom they had released free, and they subdued them to be male servants and female servants.
Morphology
- וַיָּשׁ֨וּבוּ֙ (va-yāshūvū) – Root: שוב; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “And they turned back”; Notes: Narrative reversal of previous obedience.
- אַחֲרֵי־כֵ֔ן (ʾaḥărē-kēn) – Root: אחר; Form: Preposition + adverb; Translation: “afterwards”; Notes: Introduces a subsequent action in time.
- וַיָּשִׁ֗בוּ (va-yāshivū) – Root: שוב; Form: Hiphil wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “and they brought back”; Notes: Causative form—returning those formerly freed.
- אֶת־הָֽעֲבָדִים֙ (et-ha-ʿăvādīm) – Root: עבד; Form: Direct object marker + definite noun masculine plural; Translation: “the male servants”; Notes: Refers to those previously released.
- וְאֶת־הַשְּׁפָחֹ֔ות (ve-et-ha-shefāḥōt) – Root: שׁפח; Form: Conjunction + direct object marker + definite noun feminine plural; Translation: “and the female servants”; Notes: Completes the pair of re-enslaved individuals.
- אֲשֶׁ֥ר (ʾasher) – Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Introduces a relative clause describing the servants.
- שִׁלְּח֖וּ (shilləḥū) – Root: שלח; Form: Piel perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they had released”; Notes: Intensive form used for official release/emancipation.
- חָפְשִׁ֑ים (ḥofshīm) – Root: חפשׁ; Form: Adjective masculine plural; Translation: “free”; Notes: Status that had previously been granted.
- וַיַּכְבִּשֻׁ֙ם֙ (va-yakbīshum) – Root: כבשׁ; Form: Hiphil wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural + 3mp suffix; Translation: “and they subdued them”; Notes: Violent reversal, implies forced re-enslavement.
- לַעֲבָדִ֖ים (la-ʿăvādīm) – Root: עבד; Form: Preposition + noun masculine plural; Translation: “to be male servants”; Notes: Indicates purpose/result of subjugation.
- וְלִשְׁפָחֹֽות (ve-li-shəfāḥōt) – Root: שׁפח; Form: Conjunction + preposition + noun feminine plural; Translation: “and female servants”; Notes: Final counterpart in the re-enslavement.
- ס (samekh) – Form: Masoretic section break (petuḥa); Translation: [section break]; Notes: Indicates a pause or division in the text.