לִבְנֵ֣י עַמֹּ֗ון כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה הֲבָנִ֥ים אֵין֙ לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אִם־יֹורֵ֖שׁ אֵ֣ין לֹ֑ו מַדּ֗וּעַ יָרַ֤שׁ מַלְכָּם֙ אֶת־גָּ֔ד וְעַמֹּ֖ו בְּעָרָ֥יו יָשָֽׁב׃
Concerning the sons of ʿAmmon, thus says YHWH: “Has Yisraʾel no sons? Has he no heir? Why has Malkam dispossessed Gad, and his people dwelt in its cities?
Morphology
- לִבְנֵי (livnei) – Root: בן; Form: Preposition לְ + noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “concerning the sons of”; Notes: Introduces the addressees, here the ʿAmmonites.
- עַמֹּון (ʿAmmon) – Root: —; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “ʿAmmon”; Notes: Neighboring nation east of Yarden.
- כֹּה (koh) – Root: —; Form: Demonstrative adverb; Translation: “thus”; Notes: Prophetic introduction.
- אָמַר (amar) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “says”; Notes: Standard prophetic formula.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) – Root: הוה/יהוה; Form: Proper noun, divine name; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: Source of the oracle.
- הֲבָנִים (ha-vanim) – Root: בן; Form: Interrogative particle + noun masculine plural absolute; Translation: “Has [he] sons?”; Notes: Rhetorical question challenging ʿAmmon’s actions.
- אֵין (ʾein) – Root: —; Form: Negative existential; Translation: “no”; Notes: Denotes absence.
- לְיִשְׂרָאֵל (le-Yisraʾel) – Root: ישראל; Form: Preposition לְ + proper noun; Translation: “to Yisraʾel”; Notes: Refers to the nation.
- אִם־ (im-) – Root: —; Form: Interrogative particle with maqaf; Translation: “Has he…?”; Notes: Continues the rhetorical question.
- יֹורֵשׁ (yoresh) – Root: ירשׁ; Form: Qal participle masculine singular; Translation: “an heir”; Notes: Refers to one inheriting land.
- אֵין (ʾein) – Root: —; Form: Negative existential; Translation: “is there none?”; Notes: Parallel rhetorical structure.
- לֹו (lo) – Root: —; Form: Preposition לְ + third person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers back to Yisraʾel.
- מַדּוּעַ (madduaʿ) – Root: ידע; Form: Interrogative adverb; Translation: “why?”; Notes: Introduces the charge against ʿAmmon.
- יָרַשׁ (yarash) – Root: ירשׁ; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “has dispossessed”; Notes: Used in the sense of taking territory.
- מַלְכָּם (Malkam) – Root: מלך; Form: Proper noun (also could mean “their king” depending on pointing); Translation: “Malkam”; Notes: Likely reference to the Ammonite deity Milcom, though could also be a title “their king.”
- אֶת־ (ʾet-) – Root: —; Form: Direct object marker; Translation: —; Notes: Marks Gad as the object of dispossession.
- גָּד (Gad) – Root: —; Form: Proper noun, tribal name; Translation: “Gad”; Notes: One of the tribes of Yisraʾel whose territory was seized.
- וְעַמֹּו (ve-ʿammo) – Root: עם; Form: Conjunction + noun masculine singular + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “and his people”; Notes: Refers to the Ammonites.
- בְּעָרָיו (be-ʿarav) – Root: עיר; Form: Preposition בְּ + noun feminine plural with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “in his cities”; Notes: Refers to Gad’s former towns now inhabited by Ammonites.
- יָשָׁב (yashav) – Root: ישׁב; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “dwelt”; Notes: Describes Ammon’s usurpation of territory.