וַיֹּאמְר֨וּ הַשָּׂרִ֜ים אֶל־הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ י֣וּמַת נָא֮ אֶת־הָאִ֣ישׁ הַזֶּה֒ כִּֽי־עַל־כֵּ֡ן הֽוּא־מְרַפֵּ֡א אֶת־יְדֵי֩ אַנְשֵׁ֨י הַמִּלְחָמָ֜ה הַֽנִּשְׁאָרִ֣ים בָּעִ֣יר הַזֹּ֗את וְאֵת֙ יְדֵ֣י כָל־הָעָ֔ם לְדַבֵּ֣ר אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם כַּדְּבָרִ֖ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה כִּ֣י הָאִ֣ישׁ הַזֶּ֗ה אֵינֶ֨נּוּ דֹרֵ֧שׁ לְשָׁלֹ֛ום לָעָ֥ם הַזֶּ֖ה כִּ֥י אִם־לְרָעָֽה׃
And the princes said to the king: “Let this man, please, be put to death, because for this reason he is weakening the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking to them according to these words, for this man is not seeking peace for this people but for harm.”
Morphology
- וַיֹּאמְרוּ (va-yoʾmeru) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “And they said”; Notes: Wayyiqtol chains the main narrative events.
- הַשָּׂרִים (ha-sarim) – Root: שׂר; Form: Noun masculine plural with article; Translation: “the princes/officials”; Notes: Definite subject of the speech verb.
- אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ (ʾel-ha-melekh) – Root: מלך; Form: Preposition אֶל + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “to the king”; Notes: Marks the addressee of the speech.
- יוּמַת (yumat) – Root: מות; Form: Hophal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular (jussive force); Translation: “let him be put to death”; Notes: Passive causative; petitioning tone indicated by context and the particle נָא.
- נָא (na) – Root: —; Form: Particle of entreaty; Translation: “please”; Notes: Softens or urges the request.
- אֶת־הָאִישׁ (ʾet-ha-ish) – Root: איש; Form: Direct object marker אֵת + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the man”; Notes: Marks the definite object of the jussive “be put to death.”
- הַזֶּה (ha-zeh) – Root: זה; Form: Demonstrative pronoun masculine singular; Translation: “this”; Notes: Deictic identification of the man in question.
- כִּי־עַל־כֵּן (ki-ʿal-ken) – Root: כי / על / כן; Form: Conjunction + preposition + adverb; Translation: “because for this reason”; Notes: Idiomatic causal connector introducing rationale.
- הוּא־מְרַפֵּא (huʾ-merappeʾ) – Root: רפה (orthographic spelling here with final א); Form: Independent pronoun 3ms + Piel participle masculine singular; Translation: “he is weakening”; Notes: Idiom “to weaken the hands” = “discourage.” Spelling with א reflects orthography; sense derives from רפה “to make slack.”
- אֶת־יְדֵי (ʾet-yedei) – Root: יד; Form: Direct object marker + noun feminine plural construct; Translation: “the hands of”; Notes: Begins a construct chain.
- אַנְשֵׁי (ʾanshei) – Root: איש; Form: Noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “men of”; Notes: Links to the following genitive “war.”
- הַמִּלְחָמָה (ha-milḥamah) – Root: לחם; Form: Noun feminine singular with article; Translation: “war”; Notes: Completes the construct “men of war.”
- הַנִּשְׁאָרִים (ha-nishʾarim) – Root: שׁאר; Form: Niphal participle masculine plural with article; Translation: “the remaining”; Notes: Adjectival/substantival participle modifying “men of war.”
- בָּעִיר (ba-ʿir) – Root: עיר; Form: Preposition בְּ + article + noun feminine singular; Translation: “in the city”; Notes: Locative phrase.
- הַזֹּאת (ha-zot) – Root: זה; Form: Demonstrative pronoun feminine singular; Translation: “this”; Notes: Modifies “city.”
- וְאֵת (ve-ʾet) – Root: —; Form: Conjunction וְ + direct object marker אֵת; Translation: “and [also]”; Notes: Introduces an additional direct object.
- יְדֵי (yedei) – Root: יד; Form: Noun feminine plural construct; Translation: “hands of”; Notes: Construct before the quantified noun phrase.
- כָל־הָעָם (kol-ha-ʿam) – Root: כל / עם; Form: Noun כָּל (in construct) + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “all the people”; Notes: כָּל governing a definite noun yields a definite sense.
- לְדַבֵּר (le-dabber) – Root: דבר; Form: Preposition לְ + infinitive construct Piel; Translation: “to speak”; Notes: Expresses means or cause (“by speaking”).
- אֲלֵיהֶם (ʾaleihem) – Root: אל; Form: Preposition with 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “to them”; Notes: Pronominal object of the infinitive.
- כַּדְּבָרִים (ka-devarim) – Root: דבר; Form: Preposition כְּ + noun masculine plural; Translation: “according to the words”; Notes: Comparative/accordance use of כְּ.
- הָאֵלֶּה (ha-ʾelleh) – Root: אלה; Form: Demonstrative pronoun plural with article; Translation: “these”; Notes: Specifies which “words.”
- כִּי (ki) – Root: —; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for/because”; Notes: Introduces further rationale.
- הָאִישׁ (ha-ish) – Root: איש; Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the man”; Notes: Subject of the following predicate.
- הַזֶּה (ha-zeh) – Root: זה; Form: Demonstrative pronoun masculine singular; Translation: “this”; Notes: Apposition to “the man.”
- אֵינֶנּוּ (ʾeinennu) – Root: אין; Form: Negative existential with 3ms pronominal suffix; Translation: “he is not”; Notes: Negates the ensuing participial predicate.
- דֹרֵשׁ (doresh) – Root: דרש; Form: Qal participle masculine singular; Translation: “seeking”; Notes: Stative/habitual nuance in participial predication.
- לְשָׁלֹום (le-shalom) – Root: שלם; Form: Preposition לְ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “for peace/welfare”; Notes: Dative of advantage or goal.
- לָעָם (la-ʿam) – Root: עם; Form: Preposition לְ + article + noun masculine singular; Translation: “for the people”; Notes: Definite beneficiary of the sought outcome.
- הַזֶּה (ha-zeh) – Root: זה; Form: Demonstrative pronoun masculine singular; Translation: “this”; Notes: Modifies “people.”
- כִּי (ki) – Root: —; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “but rather”; Notes: With אִם forms the adversative “כִּי אִם” = “but rather.”
- אִם־לְרָעָה (ʾim-le-raʿah) – Root: אם / רעע; Form: Particle אִם + preposition לְ + noun feminine singular; Translation: “for harm”; Notes: Completes the adversative: “not for peace … but for harm.”