וְיָשׁ֣וּבוּ לָ֭עֶרֶב יֶהֱמ֥וּ כַכָּ֗לֶב וִיסֹ֥ובְבוּ עִֽיר׃
And they return at evening, they growl like the dog, and they go around the city.
| # | Hebrew | Transliteration | Literal Gloss | Morph Tag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | וְיָשׁוּבוּ | ve-yashuvu | “and they return” | Qal yiqtol 3mp |
| 2 | לָעֶרֶב | la-ʿerev | “at evening” | Prep לְ + Def. N(ms) |
| 3 | יֶהֱמוּ | yehemu | “they growl” | Qal yiqtol 3mp |
| 4 | כַכָּלֶב | ka-kalev | “like the dog” | Prep כְּ + Def. N(ms) |
| 5 | וִיסֹבְבוּ | vi-sovevu | “and they go around” | Qal yiqtol 3mp |
| 6 | עִיר | ʿir | “city” | N(fs) |
Morphology
- וְיָשׁוּבוּ (ve-yashuvu) – Root: שׁוב (shuv); Root Type: Hollow; Binyan: Qal; Form: Conjunction וְ + yiqtol (imperfect) 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “And they return”; Notes: The imperfect describes the repeated nightly return of the enemies, echoing the earlier description in the psalm.
- לָעֶרֶב (la-ʿerev) – Root: ערב (ʿ-r-b); Root Type: I-Guttural; Form: Preposition לְ + definite article הַ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “At evening”; Notes: The preposition marks the time when the enemies resume their activity.
- יֶהֱמוּ (yehemu) – Root: המה (h-m-h); Root Type: I-He; Binyan: Qal; Form: Yiqtol (imperfect) 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “They growl”; Notes: The verb denotes making a loud, restless, growling sound, vividly portraying the enemies as scavenging dogs.
- כַכָּלֶב (ka-kalev) – Root: כלב (k-l-b); Root Type: Strong; Form: Preposition כְּ + definite article הַ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “Like the dog”; Notes: The singular noun is used collectively to characterize the hostile group as prowling dogs.
- וִיסֹבְבוּ (vi-sovevu) – Root: סבב (s-b-b); Root Type: Geminate; Binyan: Qal; Form: Conjunction וְ + yiqtol (imperfect) 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “And they go around”; Notes: The verb depicts continual circling or patrolling as the enemies search for an opportunity to attack.
- עִיר (ʿir) – Root: עיר (ʿ-y-r); Root Type: I-Guttural; Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “City”; Notes: Refers to the city being surrounded by the hostile pursuers.