וַיֹּ֣אמְרוּ לֹו֩ אֱמָר־נָ֨א שִׁבֹּ֜לֶת וַיֹּ֣אמֶר סִבֹּ֗לֶת וְלֹ֤א יָכִין֙ לְדַבֵּ֣ר כֵּ֔ן וַיֹּאחֲז֣וּ אֹותֹ֔ו וַיִּשְׁחָט֖וּהוּ אֶל־מַעְבְּרֹ֣ות הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן וַיִּפֹּ֞ל בָּעֵ֤ת הַהִיא֙ מֵֽאֶפְרַ֔יִם אַרְבָּעִ֥ים וּשְׁנַ֖יִם אָֽלֶף׃
And they said to him, “Say now, ‘Shibbolet,’” but he said, ‘Sibbolet,’ for he could not pronounce it correctly. And they seized him and slaughtered him at the fords of the Yarden. And at that time, forty-two thousand of Efrayim fell.
Morphology
- וַיֹּ֣אמְרוּ (va-yomru) – Root: אמר (amar); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (preterite) 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “And they said”; Notes: Refers to the men of Gilʿad.
- לֹו֩ (lo) – Root: ל (le) + הוא (hu); Form: Preposition with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Directs the command.
- אֱמָר־נָ֨א (emar-na) – Root: אמר (amar); Form: Qal imperative 2nd person masculine singular + particle; Translation: “Say now”; Notes: A command with urgency.
- שִׁבֹּ֜לֶת (shibbolet) – Root: שבלת (shibbolet); Form: Noun, feminine singular; Translation: “Shibbolet”; Notes: A test word used to distinguish dialects.
- וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (va-yomer) – Root: אמר (amar); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (preterite) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “But he said”; Notes: The fugitive’s response.
- סִבֹּ֗לֶת (sibbolet) – Root: שבלת (shibbolet); Form: Noun, feminine singular (mispronounced); Translation: “Sibbolet”; Notes: Incorrect pronunciation due to dialect.
- וְלֹ֤א יָכִין֙ (ve-lo yakhin) – Root: כון (kun); Form: Hifil perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “For he could not”; Notes: Indicates inability.
- לְדַבֵּ֣ר (le-dabber) – Root: דבר (davar); Form: Piel infinitive construct; Translation: “to pronounce”; Notes: Refers to speech production.
- כֵּ֔ן (ken) – Root: כן (ken); Form: Adverb; Translation: “correctly”; Notes: Emphasizes the mistake.
- וַיֹּאחֲז֣וּ (va-yoḥazu) – Root: אחז (aḥaz); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (preterite) 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “And they seized”; Notes: Act of capturing.
- אֹותֹ֔ו (oto) – Root: את (ʾet) + pronoun; Form: 3rd person masculine singular pronoun; Translation: “him”; Notes: Direct object of the verb.
- וַיִּשְׁחָט֖וּהוּ (va-yishḥatu-hu) – Root: שחט (shaḥat); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (preterite) 3rd person masculine plural with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “And they slaughtered him”; Notes: Execution at the river crossing.
- אֶל־מַעְבְּרֹ֣ות (el-maʿberot) – Root: עבר (ʿavar); Form: Noun, feminine plural construct; Translation: “at the fords of”; Notes: Crossing point of the river.
- הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן (ha-Yarden) – Root: ירדן (Yarden); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “the Yarden”; Notes: The Jordan River.
- וַיִּפֹּ֞ל (va-yippol) – Root: נפל (nafal); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (preterite) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And he fell”; Notes: Euphemism for death.
- בָּעֵ֤ת הַהִיא֙ (ba-ʿet ha-hi) – Root: עת (ʿet); Form: Noun, feminine singular with definite article + demonstrative pronoun; Translation: “at that time”; Notes: Specifies when it happened.
- מֵֽאֶפְרַ֔יִם (me-Efrayim) – Root: אפרים (Efrayim); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “from Efrayim”; Notes: Indicates those who perished.
- אַרְבָּעִ֥ים (arbaʿim) – Root: ארבע (arbaʿ); Form: Numeral; Translation: “forty”; Notes: Part of the number of casualties.
- וּשְׁנַ֖יִם (u-shnayim) – Root: שנים (shnayim); Form: Numeral; Translation: “two”; Notes: Completes the number.
- אָֽלֶף׃ (elef) – Root: אלף (elef); Form: Noun, masculine singular; Translation: “thousand”; Notes: The total casualties were 42,000.