עִבְר֤וּ כַֽלְנֵה֙ וּרְא֔וּ וּלְכ֥וּ מִשָּׁ֖ם חֲמַ֣ת רַבָּ֑ה וּרְד֣וּ גַת־פְּלִשְׁתּ֗ים הֲטֹובִים֙ מִן־הַמַּמְלָכֹ֣ות הָאֵ֔לֶּה אִם־רַ֥ב גְּבוּלָ֖ם מִגְּבֻלְכֶֽם׃
Pass over to Kalneh and see, and from there go to Ḥamat the great; then go down to Gat of the Pelishtim. Are they better than these kingdoms, or is their territory greater than your border?
Morphology
- עִבְרוּ (ʿivru) – Root: עבר (ʿavar); Form: Qal imperative masculine plural; Translation: “Pass over”; Notes: A command to travel across or through—here inviting comparison with other nations as a warning to Yisraʾel.
- כַֽלְנֵה (Kalneh) – Root: כלנה (Kalneh); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Kalneh”; Notes: A city mentioned in Assyrian records, possibly modern Kilizi near the Tigris; example of a once-great but fallen power.
- וּרְאוּ (u-reʾu) – Root: ראה (raʾah); Form: Conjunction וְ + Qal imperative masculine plural; Translation: “and see”; Notes: Commands observation or discernment—urging them to learn from historical ruin.
- וּלְכוּ (u-lekhu) – Root: הלך (halakh); Form: Conjunction וְ + imperative masculine plural; Translation: “and go”; Notes: Sequential command, urging continued journey to gather comparisons.
- מִשָּׁם (mi-sham) – Root: שם (sham); Form: Preposition מִן + adverb; Translation: “from there”; Notes: Indicates movement from one place (Kalneh) to the next (Ḥamat Rabbah).
- חֲמַת (Ḥamat) – Root: חמת (Ḥamat); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Ḥamat”; Notes: A major Aramean city-state on the Orontes River; known in Scripture as “Ḥamat Rabbah” (“the great”).
- רַבָּה (rabbah) – Root: רבב (ravav); Form: Adjective feminine singular; Translation: “the great”; Notes: Serves as an epithet of importance or size—“Ḥamat the great.”
- וּרְדוּ (u-redu) – Root: ירד (yarad); Form: Conjunction וְ + Qal imperative masculine plural; Translation: “and go down”; Notes: Indicates direction toward a lower region—specifically from the north toward Gat.
- גַת (Gat) – Root: גת (Gat); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Gat”; Notes: One of the five principal cities of the Pelishtim (Philistines); symbolizes another once-powerful but subdued kingdom.
- פְּלִשְׁתִּים (Pelishtim) – Root: פלשׁת (Peleshet); Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “Pelishtim”; Notes: Refers to the Philistines; enemies and cultural rivals of Yisraʾel on the coastal plain.
- הֲטֹובִים (ha-tovim) – Root: טוב (tov); Form: Interrogative particle הֲ + adjective masculine plural definite; Translation: “Are they better?”; Notes: Begins a rhetorical question contrasting these nations’ fate with Yisraʾel’s presumed security.
- מִן־הַמַּמְלָכֹות (min-ha-mamlakhot) – Root: מלך (melek); Form: Preposition מִן + definite noun feminine plural; Translation: “than the kingdoms”; Notes: Comparative construction suggesting equivalence or superiority; emphasizes shared vulnerability.
- הָאֵלֶּה (ha-elleh) – Root: אלה (elleh); Form: Demonstrative pronoun masculine plural; Translation: “these”; Notes: Refers back to the named kingdoms (Kalneh, Ḥamat, Gat) as objects of comparison.
- אִם (ʾim) – Root: אם (ʾim); Form: Interrogative conjunction; Translation: “or if”; Notes: Introduces an alternative rhetorical question in parallel with the previous clause.
- רַב (rav) – Root: רבב (ravav); Form: Adjective masculine singular; Translation: “greater”; Notes: Used comparatively to express relative size or superiority.
- גְּבוּלָם (gevulam) – Root: גבול (gevul); Form: Noun masculine singular + suffix 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “their border”; Notes: Refers to territorial boundaries of those kingdoms.
- מִגְּבֻלְכֶם (mi-gevul’khem) – Root: גבול (gevul); Form: Preposition מִן + noun masculine singular + suffix 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “than your border”; Notes: Concludes the rhetorical question, emphasizing YHWH’s challenge to Yisraʾel’s misplaced confidence.