אֲשֶׁ֨ר נִתְּנ֤וּ קִבְרֹתֶ֨יהָ֙ בְּיַרְכְּתֵי־בֹ֔ור וַיְהִ֣י קְהָלָ֔הּ סְבִיבֹ֖ות קְבֻרָתָ֑הּ כֻּלָּ֤ם חֲלָלִים֙ נֹפְלִ֣ים בַּחֶ֔רֶב אֲשֶׁר־נָתְנ֥וּ חִתִּ֖ית בְּאֶ֥רֶץ חַיִּֽים׃
Whose graves were set in the uttermost parts of the pit, and her assembly is all around her burial; all of them are slain, fallen by the sword, who had caused terror in the land of the living.
Morphology
- אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) – Root: אשר (ʾasher); Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “who / whose”; Notes: Introduces a relative clause explaining the placement and condition of those buried in Sheol.
- נִתְּנוּ (nittenu) – Root: נתן (natan); Form: Nifal perfect 3rd person common plural; Translation: “were set / were placed”; Notes: Passive form emphasizing that the graves were assigned or placed by divine decree.
- קִבְרֹתֶיהָ (qivroteha) – Root: קבר (qavar); Form: Noun feminine plural + suffix 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “her graves”; Notes: Refers to the burial places of the nation’s people, personifying the nation as “her.”
- בְּיַרְכְּתֵי־ (be-yarketei) – Root: ירך (yarekh); Form: Preposition בְ + noun feminine plural construct; Translation: “in the uttermost parts of”; Notes: Refers metaphorically to the deepest or farthest reaches—here, of the pit (Sheol).
- בֹור (bor) – Root: בור (bor); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “pit”; Notes: Common image for Sheol, the place of the dead or the grave.
- וַיְהִי (va-yehi) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and it came to be / and it was”; Notes: Marks transition, describing the condition or state that followed the burial.
- קְהָלָהּ (qehalah) – Root: קהל (qahal); Form: Noun feminine singular + suffix 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “her assembly”; Notes: Refers to the company or multitude associated with the fallen nation, personified as feminine.
- סְבִיבֹות (sevivot) – Root: סביב (saviv); Form: Noun feminine plural absolute; Translation: “around”; Notes: Indicates the spatial arrangement—those surrounding the main burial site.
- קְבֻרָתָהּ (qevuratah) – Root: קבר (qavar); Form: Noun feminine singular + suffix 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “her burial”; Notes: Refers to the main grave or tomb, emphasizing the central resting place within Sheol.
- כֻּלָּם (kullam) – Root: כל (kol); Form: Noun/adjective masculine plural + suffix 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “all of them”; Notes: Expresses completeness, encompassing every member of the group.
- חֲלָלִים (ḥalalim) – Root: חלל (ḥalal); Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “slain ones”; Notes: Denotes those who died violently in battle, now lying in Sheol.
- נֹפְלִים (nofelim) – Root: נפל (nafal); Form: Qal participle masculine plural; Translation: “those who fall / who fell”; Notes: Participial form describing their state or characteristic—those fallen in war.
- בַּחֶרֶב (ba-ḥerev) – Root: חרב (ḥerev); Form: Preposition בְ + noun feminine singular with article; Translation: “by the sword”; Notes: Indicates the means of death; standard prophetic expression for military destruction.
- אֲשֶׁר־ (ʾasher) – Root: אשר (ʾasher); Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “who / which”; Notes: Introduces a subordinate clause describing the cause of their downfall.
- נָתְנוּ (natnu) – Root: נתן (natan); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person common plural; Translation: “they gave / they caused”; Notes: Denotes causing or producing a state or effect—in this case, fear or terror.
- חִתִּית (ḥittit) – Root: חתת (ḥatat); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “terror”; Notes: Refers to dread or fear inspired by their might in the land of the living.
- בְּאֶרֶץ (be-erets) – Root: ארץ (ʾerets); Form: Preposition בְ + noun feminine singular; Translation: “in the land”; Notes: Indicates location where their power and terror were once exercised.
- חַיִּים (ḥayyim) – Root: חיה (ḥayah); Form: Noun masculine plural (plural of abstraction); Translation: “of the living”; Notes: Contrasts the world of the living with Sheol, highlighting the reversal of their former might and glory.