לַמְנַצֵּ֣חַ אַל־תַּשְׁחֵת֮ לְדָוִ֪ד מִ֫כְתָּ֥ם בִּשְׁלֹ֥חַ שָׁא֑וּל וַֽיִּשְׁמְר֥וּ אֶת־֝הַבַּ֗יִת לַהֲמִיתֹֽו׃
For the Chief Musician, “Do not destroy”; of Dawid, a miktam, when Shaʾul sent, and they watched the house to put him to death.
| # | Hebrew | Transliteration | Literal Gloss | Morph Tag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | לַמְנַצֵּחַ | la-menatseaḥ | “for the chief musician” | Prep לְ + Def. art. הַ + Piel ptcp ms |
| 2 | אַל־תַּשְׁחֵת | ʾal-tashḥet | “do not destroy” | Neg. + Hiphil juss 2ms |
| 3 | לְדָוִד | le-Dawid | “of Dawid” | Prep לְ + proper noun |
| 4 | מִכְתָּם | mikhtam | “a miktam” | N(ms) |
| 5 | בִּשְׁלֹחַ | bi-shloaḥ | “when sending” | Prep בְּ + Qal inf cstr |
| 6 | שָׁאוּל | Shaʾul | “Shaʾul” | Proper noun |
| 7 | וַיִּשְׁמְרוּ | va-yishmeru | “and they watched” | Qal wayyiqtol 3mp |
| 8 | אֶת־הַבַּיִת | ʾet-ha-bayit | “the house” | Obj. marker + Def. N(ms) |
| 9 | לַהֲמִיתֹו | la-hamito | “to put him to death” | Prep לְ + Hiphil inf cstr + suff 3ms |
Morphology
- לַמְנַצֵּחַ (la-menatseaḥ) – Root: נצה (n-ṣ-ḥ); Root Type: II-Guttural (ח) (weak); Binyan: Piel; Form: Preposition לְ + definite article הַ + Piel participle masculine singular; Translation: “for the chief musician”; Notes: Refers to the director or overseer of musical performance.
- אַל־תַּשְׁחֵת (ʾal-tashḥet) – Root: שׁחת (š-ḥ-t); Root Type: II-Guttural (ח) (weak); Binyan: Hiphil; Form: Negative particle אַל + Hiphil jussive 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “do not destroy”; Notes: Likely a musical or liturgical instruction preserved in the superscription.
- לְדָוִד (le-Dawid) – Root: Proper noun; Root Type: Strong; Form: Preposition לְ + proper noun masculine singular; Translation: “of Dawid”; Notes: Indicates authorship or association with Dawid.
- מִכְתָּם (mikhtam) – Root: כתם (k-t-m); Root Type: Strong; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “a miktam”; Notes: A technical term for a type of psalm, possibly indicating a specific musical or poetic style.
- בִּשְׁלֹחַ (bi-shloaḥ) – Root: שלח (š-l-ḥ); Root Type: Strong; Binyan: Qal; Form: Preposition בְּ + Qal infinitive construct; Translation: “when sending”; Notes: Introduces the temporal clause describing the historical setting.
- שָׁאוּל (Shaʾul) – Root: Proper noun; Root Type: Strong; Form: Proper noun masculine singular; Translation: “Shaʾul”; Notes: Refers to King Shaʾul, who sought Dawid’s life.
- וַיִּשְׁמְרוּ (va-yishmeru) – Root: שׁמר (š-m-r); Root Type: Strong; Binyan: Qal; Form: Conjunction וַ + wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “and they watched”; Notes: Describes the agents sent to monitor Dawid’s house.
- אֶת־הַבַּיִת (ʾet-ha-bayit) – Root: בית (b-y-t); Root Type: III-Yod (weak); Form: Direct object marker אֵת + definite article הַ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “the house”; Notes: Marks the definite direct object being watched.
- לַהֲמִיתֹו (la-hamito) – Root: מות (m-w-t); Root Type: Hollow (weak); Binyan: Hiphil; Form: Preposition לְ + Hiphil infinitive construct + suffix 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “to put him to death”; Notes: Expresses purpose, indicating the intent of the surveillance.