וַיֵּרְד֡וּ שְׁלֹשֶׁת֩ אֲלָפִ֨ים אִ֜ישׁ מִֽיהוּדָ֗ה אֶל־סְעִיף֮ סֶ֣לַע עֵיטָם֒ וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ לְשִׁמְשֹׁ֗ון הֲלֹ֤א יָדַ֨עְתָּ֙ כִּֽי־מֹשְׁלִ֥ים בָּ֨נוּ֙ פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים וּמַה־זֹּ֖את עָשִׂ֣יתָ לָּ֑נוּ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֔ם כַּאֲשֶׁר֙ עָ֣שׂוּ לִ֔י כֵּ֖ן עָשִׂ֥יתִי לָהֶֽם׃
And three thousand men from Yehuda went down to the cleft of the rock of ʿEitam and said to Shimshon, “Do you not know that the Pelishtim rule over us? And what is this that you have done to us?” And he said to them, “As they have done to me, so I have done to them.”
Morphology
- וַיֵּרְד֡וּ (vayyēredu) – Root: ירד (yarad); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (consecutive imperfect) 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “And they went down”; Notes: Describes movement downward.
- שְׁלֹשֶׁת֩ (sheloshet) – Root: שלש (shalosh); Form: Noun, masculine singular construct; Translation: “three”; Notes: Part of a numerical phrase.
- אֲלָפִ֨ים (ʾalafim) – Root: אלף (ʾelef); Form: Noun, masculine plural; Translation: “thousands”; Notes: Completes the number.
- אִ֜ישׁ (ʾish) – Root: איש (ʾish); Form: Noun, masculine singular; Translation: “man”; Notes: Collectively represents the group.
- מִֽיהוּדָ֗ה (mi-Yehudah) – Root: יהודה (Yehudah); Form: Proper noun with preposition; Translation: “from Yehudah”; Notes: Indicates origin.
- אֶל־סְעִיף֮ (ʾel-seʿif) – Root: סעף (saʿif); Form: Noun, masculine singular; Translation: “to the cleft”; Notes: Refers to a rocky division.
- סֶ֣לַע (selaʿ) – Root: סלע (selaʿ); Form: Noun, masculine singular; Translation: “rock”; Notes: Specific location.
- עֵיטָם֒ (ʿEitam) – Root: עיטם (ʿEitam); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “ʿEitam”; Notes: Name of a place.
- וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ (vayyōʾmeru) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (consecutive imperfect) 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “And they said”; Notes: Narrative speech introduction.
- לְשִׁמְשֹׁ֗ון (le-Shimshōn) – Root: שמשון (Shimshōn); Form: Proper noun with preposition; Translation: “to Shimshon”; Notes: Refers to the biblical figure.
- הֲלֹ֤א (halo) – Root: לא (lo); Form: Interrogative particle; Translation: “Do you not”; Notes: Introduces a rhetorical question.
- יָדַ֨עְתָּ֙ (yadaʿta) – Root: ידע (yadaʿ); Form: Qal perfect 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “you know”; Notes: Completed action.
- כִּֽי־מֹשְׁלִ֥ים (ki-moshelim) – Root: משל (mashal); Form: Qal participle masculine plural; Translation: “that they rule”; Notes: Describes an ongoing action.
- בָּ֨נוּ֙ (banu) – Root: בנו (banu); Form: Preposition with 1st person plural suffix; Translation: “over us”; Notes: Expresses dominion.
- פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים (Pelištim) – Root: פלשתי (Pelišti); Form: Proper noun, masculine plural; Translation: “Pelishtim”; Notes: Refers to the Philistines.
- וּמַה־זֹּ֖את (u-mah-zot) – Root: מה (mah); Form: Interrogative pronoun; Translation: “And what is this”; Notes: Introduces a question.
- עָשִׂ֣יתָ (ʿasita) – Root: עשה (ʿasah); Form: Qal perfect 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “you have done”; Notes: Completed action.
- לָּ֑נוּ (lanu) – Root: אנחנו (ʾanāḥnu); Form: Preposition with 1st person plural suffix; Translation: “to us”; Notes: Refers to the people of Yehudah.
- וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (vayyōʾmer) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (consecutive imperfect) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And he said”; Notes: Introduction to Shimshon’s response.
- כַּאֲשֶׁר֙ (kaʾasher) – Root: אשר (ʾasher); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “As”; Notes: Introduces comparison.
- עָשׂוּ (ʿasu) – Root: עשה (ʿasah); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person plural; Translation: “they have done”; Notes: Completed action.