אַיֵּה֙ מְעֹ֣ון אֲרָיֹ֔ות וּמִרְעֶ֥ה ה֖וּא לַכְּפִרִ֑ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר הָלַךְ֩ אַרְיֵ֨ה לָבִ֥יא שָׁ֛ם גּ֥וּר אַרְיֵ֖ה וְאֵ֥ין מַחֲרִֽיד׃
Where is the den of the lions and the feeding place for the young lions, where the lion walked, the lioness, there the lion’s cub, and no one made afraid.
Morphology
- אַיֵּה (ayyeh) — Root: אי (ʾi); Form: Interrogative adverb; Translation: “where”; Notes: Introduces a rhetorical question of judgment.
- מְעֹון (meʿon) — Root: עון (ʿun/ʿaven? but noun from עון / מָעוֹן); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “den / dwelling”; Notes: Refers to a lair or habitation.
- אֲרָיֹות (arayot) — Root: אריה (aryeh); Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “lions”; Notes: A pride of lions symbolizing Assyria’s might.
- וּ (u) — Root: ו (vav); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects the two habitats described.
- מִרְעֶה (mirʿeh) — Root: רעה (raʿah); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “feeding place”; Notes: A place of grazing or nourishment.
- הוּא (hu) — Root: הוא (hu); Form: Independent pronoun masculine singular; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers back to the feeding place as the subject of the clause.
- לַכְּפִרִים (la-kefirim) — Root: כּפר (kafar? but noun from כְּפִיר); Form: Preposition לְ + definite noun masculine plural; Translation: “for the young lions”; Notes: Emphasizes the place of nurturing.
- אֲשֶׁר (asher) — Root: אשר (asher); Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “where / in which”; Notes: Introduces descriptive clause.
- הָלַךְ (halakh) — Root: הלך (halakh); Form: Qal perfect 3ms; Translation: “walked”; Notes: The lion’s habitual movement in his domain.
- אַרְיֵה (aryeh) — Root: אריה (aryeh); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “lion”; Notes: Represents the dominant member of the pride.
- לָבִיא (lavi) — Root: לבא (lavaʾ? noun לָבִיא); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “lioness”; Notes: Companion to the lion, representing strength and ferocity.
- שָׁם (sham) — Root: שם (sham); Form: Adverb; Translation: “there”; Notes: Indicates the location of their den.
- גוּר (gur) — Root: גור (gur); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “cub”; Notes: A young lion, part of the pride’s family imagery.
- אַרְיֵה (aryeh) — Root: אריה (aryeh); Form: Noun masculine singular in apposition; Translation: “lion”; Notes: The cub is identified specifically as a young lion.
- וְ (ve) — Root: ו; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “and”; Notes: Leads into the final condition.
- אֵין (ein) — Root: אין (ein); Form: Particle of nonexistence; Translation: “there is no”; Notes: Expresses absence of threat.
- מַחֲרִיד (maḥarid) — Root: חרד (ḥarad); Form: Hiphil participle masculine singular; Translation: “one who makes afraid”; Notes: Indicates that no predator, army, or danger disturbed them in their strength.