שְׂא֞וּ אֶת־רֹ֣אשׁ כָּל־עֲדַ֣ת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל מִבֶּ֨ן עֶשְׂרִ֥ים שָׁנָ֛ה וָמַ֖עְלָה לְבֵ֣ית אֲבֹתָ֑ם כָּל־יֹצֵ֥א צָבָ֖א בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
“Lift up the head of all the congregation of the children of Yisraʾel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ houses, all who are able to go out to war in Yisraʾel.”
Morphology
- שְׂא֞וּ (se’u) – Root: נשא (nasa); Form: Qal imperative masculine plural; Translation: “Lift up”; Notes: Used in the sense of conducting a census.
- אֶת־רֹ֣אשׁ (et-rosh) – Root: ראש (rosh); Form: Direct object marker + noun masculine singular; Translation: “The head”; Notes: Refers to counting individuals.
- כָּל־עֲדַ֣ת (kol-‘adat) – Root: עדה (‘adah); Form: Noun feminine singular construct; Translation: “All the congregation of”; Notes: Emphasizes the entire assembly.
- בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל (benei-Yisra’el) – Root: בן (ben), ישראל (Yisra’el); Form: Noun masculine plural construct + proper noun; Translation: “The children of Yisra’el”; Notes: Identifies the group being counted.
- מִבֶּ֨ן (mi-ben) – Root: בן (ben); Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “From twenty”; Notes: Introduces the age range for the census.
- עֶשְׂרִ֥ים שָׁנָ֛ה (‘esrim shanah) – Root: עשרים (‘esrim), שנה (shanah); Form: Numeral + noun feminine singular; Translation: “Twenty years”; Notes: Specifies the starting age for inclusion.
- וָמַ֖עְלָה (u-ma‘lah) – Root: עלה (‘alah); Form: Conjunction + adverb; Translation: “And upward”; Notes: Indicates no upper age limit for counting.
- לְבֵ֣ית אֲבֹתָ֑ם (le-veit avotam) – Root: בית (bayit), אב (av); Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular construct + noun masculine plural; Translation: “By their fathers’ houses”; Notes: Refers to tribal divisions.
- כָּל־יֹצֵ֥א (kol-yotsei) – Root: יצא (yatsa); Form: Noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “All who are able”; Notes: Indicates those eligible for military service.
- צָבָ֖א (tzava) – Root: צבא (tzava); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “To go out to war”; Notes: Refers to military readiness.
- בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל (be-Yisra’el) – Root: ישראל (Yisra’el); Form: Preposition + proper noun; Translation: “In Yisra’el”; Notes: Specifies the nation being counted.