בָּעָ֗ם

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 בָּעָ֗ם

   ba-AM

   among the people or the people
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 לִמְנ֣וֹת בָּעָ֗ם

   lim-NOT ba-AM

   to count among the people or the people
3. clause🔊 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר דָּוִ֣יד אֶֽל־הָאֱלֹהִ֡ים הֲלֹא֩ אֲנִ֨י אָמַ֜רְתִּי לִמְנ֣וֹת בָּעָ֗ם וַאֲנִי־ה֤וּא אֲשֶׁר־חָטָ֙אתִי֙ וְהָרֵ֣עַ הֲרֵע֔וֹתִי וְאֵ֥לֶּה הַצֹּ֖אן מֶ֣ה עָשׂ֑וּ

   va-YO-mer da-VID el-ha-e-lo-HIM ha-LO a-NI a-MAR-ti lim-NOT ba-AM va-a-NI-HU a-sher-kha-TA-ti ve-ha-RE-a ha-re-O-ti ve-EL-le ha-TSON ME a-SU

   and he said David to God is it not I I said to count among the people or the people and I am he who sinned and the doing of evil or and the evil I have done evil and these the flock what have they done
4. sentence🔊 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר דָּוִ֣יד אֶֽל־הָאֱלֹהִ֡ים הֲלֹא֩ אֲנִ֨י אָמַ֜רְתִּי לִמְנ֣וֹת בָּעָ֗ם וַאֲנִי־ה֤וּא אֲשֶׁר־חָטָ֙אתִי֙ וְהָרֵ֣עַ הֲרֵע֔וֹתִי וְאֵ֥לֶּה הַצֹּ֖אן מֶ֣ה עָשׂ֑וּ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהַ֗י תְּהִ֨י נָ֤א יָֽדְךָ֙ בִּ֚י וּבְבֵ֣ית אָבִ֔י וּֽבְעַמְּךָ֖ לֹ֥א לְמַגֵּפָֽה׃

   va-YO-mer da-VID el-ha-e-lo-HIM ha-LO a-NI a-MAR-ti lim-NOT ba-AM va-a-NI-HU a-sher-kha-TA-ti ve-ha-RE-a ha-re-O-ti ve-EL-le ha-TSON ME a-SU ye-ho-VAH e-lo-HAI te-HI NA yad-KHA BI u-ve-VET a-VI u-ve-am-ME-kha LO le-mag-GE-fa

   and he said David to God is it not I I said to count among the people or the people and I am he who sinned and the doing of evil or and the evil I have done evil and these the flock what have they done LORD my God let it be please your hand against me or in me and in the house of my father and among your people not to a plague

Exegesis

The interrogative halo {הֲלֹא | halō} introduces a rhetorical question about David’s own action in limnot baam {לִמְנוֹת בָּעָם | limnōt bāʿām} ‘to count the people’. The self-confession vaani-hu asher chatati ve-harea hareoti employs a relative clause with parallel perfect forms to emphasize personal guilt.