וַיִּקְחוּ֙ אֶת־כָּל־הָ֣אֲנָשִׁ֔ים וַיֵּ֣לְכ֔וּ לְהִלָּחֵ֖ם עִם־יִשְׁמָעֵ֣אל בֶּן־נְתַנְיָ֑ה וַיִּמְצְא֣וּ אֹתֹ֔ו אֶל־מַ֥יִם רַבִּ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּגִבְעֹֽון׃
And they took all the men and went to fight with Yishmaʿel son of Netanya, and they found him by the great waters that are in Giveʿon.
Morphology
- וַיִּקְחוּ (va-yiqḥu) – Root: לקח (laqach); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “And they took”; Notes: Describes seizing or gathering men for battle.
- אֶת־כָּל־הָאֲנָשִׁים (et-kol-ha-anashim) – Root: אישׁ (ʾish); Form: Direct object marker + כָּל + definite noun masculine plural; Translation: “all the men”; Notes: Refers to the troops or followers with Yoḥanan.
- וַיֵּלְכוּ (va-yeleku) – Root: הלך (halakh); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “and they went”; Notes: Indicates movement towards confrontation.
- לְהִלָּחֵם (le-hillaḥem) – Root: לחם (laḥam); Form: Preposition ל + Nifal infinitive construct; Translation: “to fight”; Notes: Purpose clause—goal of their going.
- עִם־יִשְׁמָעֵאל (ʿim-Yishmaʿel) – Root: ישׁמעאל (Yishmaʿel); Form: Preposition + proper noun; Translation: “with Yishmaʿel”; Notes: Specifies the enemy target.
- בֶּן־נְתַנְיָה (ben-Netanyah) – Root: נתניה (Netanyah); Form: Construct phrase; Translation: “son of Netanyah”; Notes: Patronymic, clarifying identity.
- וַיִּמְצְאוּ (va-yimtseʾu) – Root: מצא (matsaʾ); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “and they found”; Notes: Encountering Yishmaʿel unexpectedly.
- אֹתוֹ (oto) – Root: את (ʾet); Form: Direct object marker + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Yishmaʿel.
- אֶל־מַיִם (el-mayim) – Root: מים (mayim); Form: Preposition + noun masculine plural; Translation: “by the waters”; Notes: Specifies the location of the encounter.
- רַבִּים (rabbim) – Root: רבב (ravav); Form: Adjective masculine plural; Translation: “great”; Notes: Describes the abundance of water—likely a reservoir or pool.
- אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) – Root: אשר (ʾasher); Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “that”; Notes: Introduces the clause of location.
- בְּגִבְעֹון (be-Givʿon) – Root: גבעון (Givʿon); Form: Preposition + proper noun; Translation: “in Givʿon”; Notes: City northwest of Yerushalayim, noted for its large pool (cf. 2 Sam. 2:13).