King James Version

2 Samuel 11:20

And if so be that the king’s wrath arise, and he say unto thee, Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city when ye did fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall?

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Hebrew

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וְהָיָ֗הvehayahand beהָיָהconjunction, verb, qal, sequential perfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and be”, a completed action in a sequenceH1961to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)beacon, [idiom] altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, [phrase] follow, happen, [idiom] have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, [idiom] use.אִֽםimoh thatאִםconjunction — “oh that”H518used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also Oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not(and, can-, doubtless, if, that) (not), [phrase] but, either, [phrase] except, [phrase] more(-over if, than), neither, nevertheless, nor, oh that, or, [phrase] save (only, -ing), seeing, since, sith, [phrase] surely (no more, none, not), t…תַּעֲלֶה֙taalehascend upעָלָהverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “ascend up”, an unfinished actionH5927to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurativearise (up), (cause to) ascend up, at once, break (the day) (up), bring (up), (cause to) burn, carry up, cast up, [phrase] shew, climb (up), (cause to, make to) come (up), cut off, dawn, depart, exalt, excel, fall, fetch up, get up, (make t…חֲמַ֣תchamatangerחֵמָהnoun, common, feminine, singular, construct — “anger”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH2534heat; figuratively, anger, poison (from its fever)anger, bottles, hot displeasure, furious(-ly, -ry), heat, indignation, poison, rage, wrath(-ful). See H2529 (חֶמְאָה).הַמֶּ֔לֶךְhamelekhthe kingמֶלֶךְdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “the king”, the ordinary formH4428a kingking, royal.וְאָמַ֣רveamarand sayאָמַרconjunction, verb, qal, sequential perfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and say”, a completed action in a sequenceH559to say (used with great latitude)answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [id…לְךָ֔lekhatoלְךָ֔preposition, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “to”toמַדּ֛וּעַmaduawhyמַדּוּעַparticle, interrogative — “why”H4069what (is) known?; i.e. (by implication) (adverbially) why?how, wherefore, why.נִגַּשְׁתֶּ֥םnigashtembringנָגַשׁverb, niphal, perfect, 2nd person, masculine, plural — “bring”, a completed actionH5066to be or come (causatively, bring) near (for any purpose); euphemistically, to lie with a woman; as an enemy, to attack; religious to worship; causatively, to present; figuratively, to adduce an argument; by reversal, to stand back(make to) approach (nigh), bring (forth, hither, near), (cause to) come (hither, near, nigh), give place, go hard (up), (be, draw, go) near (nigh), offer, overtake, present, put, stand.אֶלelamongאֵלpreposition — “among”H413near, with or among; often in general, toabout, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, [idiom] hath, in(-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).הָעִ֖ירhairthe cityעִירdefinite article, noun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “the city”, the ordinary formH5892a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)Ai (from margin), city, court (from margin), town.לְהִלָּחֵ֑םlehilachemto devourלָחַםpreposition, verb, niphal, infinitive construct — “to devour”, the to-form of the verbH3898to feed on; figuratively, to consume; by implication, to battle (as destruction)devour, eat, [idiom] ever, fight(-ing), overcome, prevail, (make) war(-ring).הֲל֣וֹאhalono , -r,לֹאparticle, interrogative, particle, negative — “no , -r,”H3808not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles[idiom] before, [phrase] or else, ere, [phrase] except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), ([idiom] as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, [phrase] surely, [phrase] as trul…יְדַעְתֶּ֔םyedatemknowיָדַעverb, qal, perfect, 2nd person, masculine, plural — “know”, a completed actionH3045to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially (including observation, care, recognition; and causatively, instruction, designation, punishment, etc.)acknowledge, acquaintance(-ted with), advise, answer, appoint, assuredly, be aware, (un-) awares, can(-not), certainly, comprehend, consider, [idiom] could they, cunning, declare, be diligent, (can, cause to) discern, discover, endued with…אֵ֥תetobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).אֲשֶׁרasherbecauseאֲשֶׁרparticle, relative — “because”H834who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.[idiom] after, [idiom] alike, as (soon as), because, [idiom] every, for, [phrase] forasmuch, [phrase] from whence, [phrase] how(-soever), [idiom] if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), [idiom] though, [phrase] until, [phrase] whatsoever,…יֹר֖וּyorvshootיָרָהverb, hiphil, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “shoot”, an unfinished actionH3384properly, to flow as water (i.e. to rain); transitively, to lay or throw (especially an arrow, i.e. to shoot); figuratively, to point out (as if by aiming the finger), to teach([phrase]) archer, cast, direct, inform, instruct, lay, shew, shoot, teach(-er,-ing), through.מֵעַ֥לmealfrom aboveעַלpreposition, preposition — “from above”H5921above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsabove, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, [idiom] as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, [idiom] both and, by (reason of), [idiom] had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of,…הַחוֹמָֽהhachomahthe wallחוֹמָהdefinite article, noun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “the wall”, the ordinary formH2346a wall of protectionwall, walled.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

it shall be that, if the king's wrath arise, and he say unto thee: Wherefore went ye so nigh unto the city to fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall?

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

it shall be that, if the king’s wrath arise, and he say unto thee, Wherefore went ye so nigh unto the city to fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall?

Young’s Literal Translation

then, it hath been, if the king's fury ascend, and he hath said to thee, Wherefore did ye draw nigh unto the city to fight? did ye not know that they shoot from off the wall?

World English Bible

it shall be that, if the king’s wrath arise, and he asks you, ‘Why did you go so near to the city to fight? Didn’t you know that they would shoot from the wall?

Darby Translation

and if so be that the king's wrath arise, and he say to thee, Why did ye go so near to the city to fight? did ye not know that they would shoot from the wall?

Douay-Rheims

If thou see him to be angry, and he shall say: Why did you approach so near to the wall to fight? knew you not that many darts are thrown from above off the wall?

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

it shall be that, if the king's wrath arise, and he say unto thee: Wherefore went ye so nigh unto the city to fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall?

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

then it shall come to pass if the anger of the king shall arise, and he shall say to thee, Why did ye draw nigh to the city to fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from off the wall?

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

καὶ ἔσται ἐὰν ἀναβῇ ὁ θυμὸς τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ εἴπῃ σοι, τί ὅτι ἠγγίσατε πρὸς τὴν πόλιν πολεμῆσαι; οὐκ ᾔδειτε ὅτι τοξεύσουσιν ἀπάνωθεν τοῦ τείχους;