וַיְהִ֡י כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר רָ֠אָם צִדְקִיָּ֨הוּ מֶֽלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֜ה וְכֹ֣ל אַנְשֵׁ֣י הַמִּלְחָמָ֗ה וַֽ֠יִּבְרְחוּ וַיֵּצְא֨וּ לַ֤יְלָה מִן־הָעִיר֙ דֶּ֚רֶךְ גַּ֣ן הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ בְּשַׁ֖עַר בֵּ֣ין הַחֹמֹתָ֑יִם וַיֵּצֵ֖א דֶּ֥רֶךְ הָעֲרָבָֽה׃
And it happened, when Tsidqiyyahu king of Yehuda and all the men of war saw them, then they fled and went out by night from the city by the way of the king’s garden, by the gate between the walls, and he went out by the way of the ʿArava.
Morphology
- וַיְהִי (va-yehi) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And it happened”; Notes: Standard narrative introduction formula.
- כַּאֲשֶׁר (ka-asher) – Root: אשר (ʾasher); Form: Conjunction with prefix כ; Translation: “when”; Notes: Introduces a temporal clause.
- רָאָם (raʾam) – Root: ראה (raʾah); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “he saw them”; Notes: Refers to Tsidqiyahu observing the Babylonian officials.
- צִדְקִיָּהוּ (Tsidqiyahu) – Root: צדק (tsedeq); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Tsidqiyahu”; Notes: King of Yehudah at the fall of Yerushalayim.
- מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה (melekh-Yehudah) – Root: מלך (melekh); Form: Construct chain: noun + proper noun; Translation: “king of Yehudah”; Notes: Title of Tsidqiyahu.
- וְכֹל (ve-khol) – Root: כל (kol); Form: Conjunction + noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “and all”; Notes: Totality marker.
- אַנְשֵׁי (ʾanshei) – Root: אישׁ (ʾish); Form: Noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “men of”; Notes: Indicates membership.
- הַמִּלְחָמָה (ha-milḥamah) – Root: לחם (laḥam); Form: Definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “the war”; Notes: Refers to the soldiers of battle.
- וַיִּבְרְחוּ (va-yivreḥu) – Root: ברח (baraḥ); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “then they fled”; Notes: Describes the escape attempt.
- וַיֵּצְאוּ (va-yetseʾu) – Root: יצא (yatsaʾ); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “and they went out”; Notes: Continuation of the escape narrative.
- לַיְלָה (laylah) – Root: ליל (layil); Form: Noun masculine singular absolute; Translation: “by night”; Notes: Time expression indicating secrecy.
- מִן־הָעִיר (min-ha-ʿir) – Root: עיר (ʿir); Form: Preposition + definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “from the city”; Notes: Refers to Yerushalayim.
- דֶּרֶךְ (derekh) – Root: דרך (derekh); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “by the way of”; Notes: Indicates the route of escape.
- גַּן (gan) – Root: גן (gan); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “garden”; Notes: Refers to the royal garden.
- הַמֶּלֶךְ (ha-melekh) – Root: מלך (melekh); Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the king”; Notes: Belongs to the king, part of “king’s garden.”
- בְּשַׁעַר (be-shaʿar) – Root: שׁער (shaʿar); Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “by the gate”; Notes: Refers to the physical exit point.
- בֵּין (bein) – Root: בין (bein); Form: Preposition; Translation: “between”; Notes: Spatial preposition.
- הַחֹמֹתָיִם (ha-ḥomotayim) – Root: חומה (ḥomah); Form: Definite noun feminine dual; Translation: “the walls”; Notes: Indicates the space between double fortifications.
- וַיֵּצֵא (va-yetse) – Root: יצא (yatsaʾ); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and he went out”; Notes: Shifts from plural to singular, focusing on Tsidqiyahu himself.
- דֶּרֶךְ (derekh) – Root: דרך (derekh); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “by the way of”; Notes: Specifies the path taken by Tsidqiyahu.
- הָעֲרָבָה (ha-ʿaravah) – Root: ערב (ʿarav); Form: Definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “the ʿAravah”; Notes: Refers to the Jordan Valley desert plain.