וַיְהִ֣י בַּשָּׁנָ֣ה הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗ית בַּֽחֲמִשִׁי֙ בֶּעָשֹׂ֣ור לַחֹ֔דֶשׁ בָּ֧אוּ אֲנָשִׁ֛ים מִזִּקְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לִדְרֹ֣שׁ אֶת־יְהוָ֑ה וַיֵּשְׁב֖וּ לְפָנָֽי׃ ס
And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month, men came from the elders of Yisraʾel to seek YHWH, and they sat before me.
Morphology
- וַיְהִי – Root: הָיָה; Form: Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And it came to pass”; Notes: Standard narrative incipit introducing a timed scene.
- בַּשָּׁנָה – Root: שָׁנָה; Form: Preposition בְּ + definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “in the year”; Notes: Article assimilated to the preposition (בַּ).
- הַשְּׁבִיעִית – Root: שֶׁבַע; Form: Ordinal adjective feminine singular with article; Translation: “the seventh”; Notes: Agrees in gender with understood שָׁנָה.
- בַּחֲמִשִׁי – Root: חָמֵשׁ; Form: Preposition בְּ + ordinal adjective masculine singular; Translation: “in the fifth”; Notes: Masculine to match implied חֹדֶשׁ “month.”
- בֶּעָשֹׂר – Root: עֶשֶׂר; Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “on the tenth”; Notes: Day-of-month expression; lexical form commonly עָשׂוֹר.
- לַחֹדֶשׁ – Root: חֹדֶשׁ; Form: Preposition לְ + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “of the month”; Notes: Completes precise dating; article assimilates to לַ.
- בָּאוּ – Root: בּוֹא; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “came”; Notes: Main event following the temporal frame.
- אֲנָשִׁים – Root: אִישׁ; Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “men”; Notes: Subject of בָּאוּ; unspecified representatives.
- מִזִּקְנֵי – Root: זָקֵן; Form: Preposition מִן + noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “from the elders of”; Notes: Partitive/source; dagesh reflects assimilation of נ of מִן.
- יִשְׂרָאֵל – Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yisraʾel”; Notes: Genitival head of the construct chain.
- לִדְרֹשׁ – Root: דָּרַשׁ; Form: Preposition לְ + Qal infinitive construct; Translation: “to seek/inquire”; Notes: Purpose infinitive indicating the intent of the delegation.
- אֶת – Root: —; Form: Definite direct-object marker; Translation: “(marker of definite object)”; Notes: Flags the following noun as a definite direct object.
- יְהוָה – Root: יהוה; Form: Proper divine name; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: Object of the infinitive “to seek.”
- וַיֵּשְׁבוּ – Root: יָשַׁב; Form: Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “and they sat”; Notes: Sequential action; posture of waiting or audience before a prophet.
- לְפָנָי – Root: פָּנִים; Form: Preposition לְ + plural noun (pluralia tantum) with 1cs suffix; Translation: “before me”; Notes: Idiom of appearing in someone’s presence; speaker is the prophet.