רָעֵ֛ב

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 רָעֵ֛ב

   ra-EV

   hungry
2. clause🔊 כִּ֣י אָמְר֔וּ הָעָ֗ם רָעֵ֛ב וְעָיֵ֥ף וְצָמֵ֖א בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃

   KI a-me-RU ha-AM ra-EV ve-a-YEF ve-tsa-ME ba-mi-de-BAR

   for they said the people hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness
3. sentence🔊 וּדְבַ֣שׁ וְחֶמְאָ֗ה וְצֹאן֙ וּשְׁפ֣וֹת בָּקָ֔ר הִגִּ֧ישׁוּ לְדָוִ֛ד וְלָעָ֥ם אֲשֶׁר־אִתּ֖וֹ לֶאֱכ֑וֹל כִּ֣י אָמְר֔וּ הָעָ֗ם רָעֵ֛ב וְעָיֵ֥ף וְצָמֵ֖א בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃

   u-de-VASH ve-khem-A ve-TSON u-she-FOT ba-KAR hi-GI-shu le-da-VID ve-la-AM a-sher-i-TO le-e-KHOL KI a-me-RU ha-AM ra-EV ve-a-YEF ve-tsa-ME ba-mi-de-BAR

   and honey and curds or butter and sheep or flock and cheese of the herd they brought near or presented to David and to the people who were with him to eat for they said the people hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness

Exegesis

The causal conjunction kî {כִּי | kî} introduces indirect speech with ʾāmrû {אָמְרוּ | ʾa·mrû} “they said,” followed by a triad hāʿām rāʿēḇ {הָעָם רָעֵב | hā·ʿām rā·ʿēḇ} ‘the people are hungry’, wə·ʿāyēp̄ {וְעָיֵף | wə·ʿā·yēp̄} ‘weary’, wə·ṣāmēʾ {וְצָמֵא | wə·ṣā·mēʾ} ‘thirsty’, set bammidbār {בַּמִּדְבָּר | bam·mid·bār} ‘in the wilderness’. The stacking of adjectives emphasizes communal distress in a harsh setting, and English renders the object list before the verb for clarity while preserving the relative clause and triadic structure.

Root and etymology

r-ʿ-b🔊 ר־ע־בresh–ayin–bet

“to hunger”

• 🔊 רָעָבrāʿāḇōnfamineGenesis 12:10