לָכֵן֩ תֵּ֨ן אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶ֜ם לָרָעָ֗ב וְהַגִּרֵם֮ עַל־יְדֵי־חֶרֶב֒ וְתִֽהְיֶ֨נָה נְשֵׁיהֶ֤ם שַׁכֻּלֹות֙ וְאַלְמָנֹ֔ות וְאַ֨נְשֵׁיהֶ֔ם יִֽהְי֖וּ הֲרֻ֣גֵי מָ֑וֶת בַּח֣וּרֵיהֶ֔ם מֻכֵּי־חֶ֖רֶב בַּמִּלְחָמָֽה׃
Therefore give their sons to the famine, and deliver them over to the hand of the sword. Let their wives become bereaved and widows; and their men be struck down by death; their young men smitten by the sword in battle.
Morphology
- לָכֵן (lakhen) – Root: כן; Form: Adverb; Translation: “Therefore”; Notes: Introduces a judgment or consequence.
- תֵּן (ten) – Root: נתן; Form: Qal imperative masculine singular; Translation: “Give”; Notes: Direct command, addressed to God.
- אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶם (et-benehem) – Root: בן; Form: Direct object marker + noun masculine plural with 3rd person plural suffix; Translation: “their sons”; Notes: Object of the verb “give.”
- לָרָעָב (la-raʿav) – Root: רעב; Form: Preposition + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “to the famine”; Notes: Fate destined for the sons.
- וְהַגִּרֵם (ve-haggirem) – Root: גרם; Form: Hifil imperative masculine singular + 3rd person plural suffix; Translation: “and hurl them”; Notes: Causative; meaning “cause them to be brought down or cast.”
- עַל־יְדֵי־חֶרֶב (ʿal-yede-ḥerev) – Root: יד, חרב; Form: Preposition + construct plural + noun feminine singular; Translation: “by the hand of the sword”; Notes: Figurative for violent death in battle.
- וְתִהְיֶנָה (ve-tihyenah) – Root: היה; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person feminine plural with vav-consecutive; Translation: “and let them be”; Notes: Refers to the women becoming bereaved.
- נְשֵׁיהֶם (nesheihem) – Root: אשה; Form: Noun feminine plural with 3rd person plural suffix; Translation: “their wives”; Notes: Subject of the previous verb.
- שַׁכֻּלֹות (shakkulot) – Root: שׁכל; Form: Adjective feminine plural; Translation: “bereaved”; Notes: Refers to loss of children.
- וְאַלְמָנֹות (ve-almanot) – Root: אלמן; Form: Noun feminine plural; Translation: “and widows”; Notes: Double loss—children and husbands.
- וְאַנְשֵׁיהֶם (ve-ansheihem) – Root: אישׁ; Form: Conjunction + noun masculine plural construct with 3rd person plural suffix; Translation: “and their men”; Notes: Subject of next clause.
- יִהְיוּ (yihyu) – Root: היה; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they shall be”; Notes: Future state of their men.
- הֲרֻגֵי (haruge) – Root: הרג; Form: Passive participle masculine plural construct; Translation: “slain of”; Notes: Describes the fate of the men.
- מָוֶת (mavet) – Root: מות; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “death”; Notes: Completes the construct chain with “slain.”
- בַּחוּרֵיהֶם (baḥureihem) – Root: בחור; Form: Noun masculine plural construct with 3rd person plural suffix; Translation: “their young men”; Notes: Youth among the people.
- מֻכֵּי־חֶרֶב (mukke-ḥerev) – Root: נכה; Form: Pual participle masculine plural construct + noun; Translation: “smitten by the sword”; Notes: Emphasizes fatal blows in battle.
- בַּמִּלְחָמָה (ba-milḥamah) – Root: לחם; Form: Preposition + definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “in the battle”; Notes: Indicates the battlefield setting.