וְכִ֨י יִרְדֹּ֜ף גֹּאֵ֤ל הַדָּם֙ אַֽחֲרָ֔יו וְלֹֽא־יַסְגִּ֥רוּ אֶת־הָרֹצֵ֖חַ בְּיָדֹ֑ו כִּ֤י בִבְלִי־דַ֨עַת֙ הִכָּ֣ה אֶת־רֵעֵ֔הוּ וְלֹֽא־שֹׂנֵ֥א ה֛וּא לֹ֖ו מִתְּמֹ֥ול שִׁלְשֹֽׁום׃
And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not deliver the manslayer into his hand, for without knowledge he struck his fellow, and he was not hating him before, neither yesterday nor the day before.
Morphology
- וְכִ֨י (ve-ki) – Root: כי (ki); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “And if”; Notes: Introduces a conditional clause.
- יִרְדֹּ֜ף (yirdof) – Root: רדף (radaf); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “he pursues”; Notes: Expresses an action in the future or an ongoing condition.
- גֹּאֵ֤ל (go’el) – Root: גאל (ga’al); Form: Participle, Qal, masculine singular; Translation: “avenger”; Notes: Refers to the kinsman redeemer who avenges blood.
- הַדָּם֙ (ha-dam) – Root: דם (dam); Form: Noun, masculine singular, definite; Translation: “of blood”; Notes: Indicates that the avenger is seeking justice for spilled blood.
- אַֽחֲרָ֔יו (aḥarav) – Root: אחר (aḥar); Form: Preposition with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “after him”; Notes: Indicates pursuit.
- וְלֹֽא־יַסְגִּ֥רוּ (ve-lo yasgiru) – Root: סגר (sagar); Form: Hifil imperfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they shall not deliver”; Notes: Hifil stem expresses causative action.
- אֶת־הָרֹצֵ֖חַ (et-ha-rotseaḥ) – Root: רצח (ratsakh); Form: Noun, masculine singular, definite; Translation: “the manslayer”; Notes: Refers to the one who killed unintentionally.
- בְּיָדֹ֑ו (be-yado) – Root: יד (yad); Form: Preposition with noun, masculine singular, 3rd person suffix; Translation: “into his hand”; Notes: Indicates control or authority.
- כִּ֤י (ki) – Root: כי (ki); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for”; Notes: Introduces the reason for the ruling.
- בִבְלִי־דַ֨עַת֙ (bi-vli daʿat) – Root: ידע (yadaʿ); Form: Noun, feminine singular; Translation: “without knowledge”; Notes: Indicates lack of intent or awareness.
- הִכָּ֣ה (hikkah) – Root: נכה (nakah); Form: Hifil perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “he struck”; Notes: Hifil stem shows causation.
- אֶת־רֵעֵ֔הוּ (et-reʿehu) – Root: רע (reʿa); Form: Noun, masculine singular, 3rd person suffix; Translation: “his fellow”; Notes: Refers to another person in his community.
- וְלֹֽא־שֹׂנֵ֥א (ve-lo sone) – Root: שנא (sane); Form: Participle, Qal, masculine singular; Translation: “and was not hating”; Notes: Expresses a state of being.
- ה֛וּא (hu) – Root: הוא (hu); Form: Pronoun, 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “he”; Notes: Emphasizes the subject.
- לֹ֖ו (lo) – Root: לו (lo); Form: Preposition with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “toward him”; Notes: Shows the direction of potential animosity.
- מִתְּמֹ֥ול (mi-tmol) – Root: תמול (tmol); Form: Adverb; Translation: “from yesterday”; Notes: Temporal marker.
- שִׁלְשֹֽׁום (shilshom) – Root: שלשום (shilshom); Form: Adverb; Translation: “the day before”; Notes: Temporal marker indicating past events.