בְּתֹ֣וךְ חֲ֠לָלִים נָתְנ֨וּ מִשְׁכָּ֥ב לָהּ֙ בְּכָל־הֲמֹונָ֔הּ סְבִֽיבֹותָ֖יו קִבְרֹתֶ֑הָ כֻּלָּ֣ם עֲרֵלִ֣ים חַלְלֵי־חֶ֡רֶב כִּֽי־נִתַּ֨ן חִתִּיתָ֜ם בְּאֶ֣רֶץ חַיִּ֗ים וַיִּשְׂא֤וּ כְלִמָּתָם֙ אֶת־יֹ֣ורְדֵי בֹ֔ור בְּתֹ֥וךְ חֲלָלִ֖ים נִתָּֽן׃
In the midst of the slain they have given her a resting place, with all her multitude; around him are her graves, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for their terror was given in the land of the living; and they bear their shame with those who go down to the pit; in the midst of the slain she is set.
Morphology
- בְּתֹוךְ (be-tokh) – Root: תוך (tokh); Form: Preposition בְ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “in the midst of”; Notes: Introduces location among the slain, situating the burial within the collective dead.
- חֲלָלִים (ḥalalim) – Root: חלל (ḥalal); Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “slain ones”; Notes: Refers to those killed in battle, typically in prophetic laments of divine judgment.
- נָתְנוּ (natnu) – Root: נתן (natan); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person common plural; Translation: “they have given / placed”; Notes: Refers to assigning a burial place, implying divine or collective action.
- מִשְׁכָּב (mishkav) – Root: שׁכב (shakav); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “resting place / bed”; Notes: Used metaphorically for a grave or tomb—lying in death.
- לָהּ (lah) – Root: ל (l); Form: Preposition לְ + suffix 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “for her”; Notes: Refers to the nation personified as feminine (likely ʿElam or a similar kingdom).
- בְּכָל־ (be-khol) – Root: כל (kol); Form: Preposition בְ + noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “with all of”; Notes: Connects the resting place with the nation’s collective multitude.
- הֲמֹונָהּ (hamonah) – Root: המון (hamon); Form: Noun masculine singular + suffix 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “her multitude”; Notes: Refers to her people, armies, or populace who share her fate in death.
- סְבִיבֹותָיו (sevivotav) – Root: סביב (saviv); Form: Noun feminine plural + suffix 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “around him”; Notes: Indicates surrounding arrangement of graves in Sheol, emphasizing proximity and shared doom.
- קִבְרֹתֶיהָ (qivroteha) – Root: קבר (qavar); Form: Noun feminine plural + suffix 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “her graves”; Notes: Refers to burial sites belonging to her and her people.
- כֻּלָּם (kullam) – Root: כל (kol); Form: Noun/adjective masculine plural + suffix 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “all of them”; Notes: Denotes completeness—none spared from judgment.
- עֲרֵלִים (ʿarelim) – Root: ערל (ʿarel); Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “uncircumcised”; Notes: Refers to foreign or pagan nations excluded from covenantal relationship with YHWH.
- חַלְלֵי־ (ḥalalei) – Root: חלל (ḥalal); Form: Noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “slain of”; Notes: Connects with the following noun “sword,” forming the phrase “slain by the sword.”
- חֶרֶב (ḥerev) – Root: חרב (ḥerev); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “sword”; Notes: Symbol of warfare and divine judgment.
- כִּי (ki) – Root: כי (ki); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for / because”; Notes: Introduces the reason or cause—explaining why they were given such a fate.
- נִתַּן (nittan) – Root: נתן (natan); Form: Nifal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “was given”; Notes: Passive construction indicating divine appointment or decree.
- חִתִּיתָם (ḥittitam) – Root: חתת (ḥatat); Form: Noun feminine singular + suffix 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “their terror”; Notes: Refers to the dread they inspired among other nations during their lifetime.
- בְּאֶרֶץ (be-erets) – Root: ארץ (ʾerets); Form: Preposition בְ + noun feminine singular; Translation: “in the land”; Notes: Locative phrase specifying where their terror was once felt.
- חַיִּים (ḥayyim) – Root: חיה (ḥayah); Form: Noun masculine plural (plural of abstraction); Translation: “of the living”; Notes: Contrasts the realm of life with the underworld, emphasizing reversal of fortune.
- וַיִּשְׂאוּ (va-yisʾu) – Root: נשא (nasaʾ); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “and they bore / carried”; Notes: Describes bearing disgrace or shame as punishment beyond death.
- כְלִמָּתָם (kelimmatam) – Root: כלם (kalam); Form: Noun feminine singular + suffix 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “their shame”; Notes: Refers to dishonor or humiliation resulting from divine judgment.
- אֶת־ (ʾet) – Root: את (ʾet); Form: Direct object marker; Translation: “(marks the direct object)”; Notes: Introduces the object of the verb “they bore.”
- יֹורְדֵי (yordei) – Root: ירד (yarad); Form: Qal participle masculine plural construct; Translation: “those who go down”; Notes: Refers to the deceased descending to the underworld or pit.
- בֹור (bor) – Root: בור (bor); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “pit”; Notes: Symbolic of Sheol—the realm of the dead or the grave itself.
- בְּתֹוךְ (be-tokh) – Root: תוך (tokh); Form: Preposition בְ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “in the midst of”; Notes: Repetition emphasizes their position among the slain in Sheol.
- חֲלָלִים (ḥalalim) – Root: חלל (ḥalal); Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “slain ones”; Notes: Reinforces the theme of collective death through warfare.
- נִתָּן (nittan) – Root: נתן (natan); Form: Nifal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “is set / has been placed”; Notes: Indicates finality—the deceased nation is permanently situated among the slain.