מֵתֵ֥י

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 מֵתֵ֥י

   me-TE

   dead ones of or those dead of
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 מֵתֵ֥י מִלְחָמָֽה׃

   me-TE mil-kha-MA

   dead ones of or those dead of battle or war
3. clause🔊 חֲלָלַ֙יִךְ֙ לֹ֣א חַלְלֵי־חֶ֔רֶב וְלֹ֖א מֵתֵ֥י מִלְחָמָֽה׃

   kha-la-LA-yikh LO khal-le-KHE-rev ve-LO me-TE mil-kha-MA

   your slain not slain of sword or slain by sword and not dead ones of or those dead of battle or war
4. sentence🔊 תְּשֻׁא֣וֹת מְלֵאָ֗ה עִ֚יר הֽוֹמִיָּ֔ה קִרְיָ֖ה עַלִּיזָ֑ה חֲלָלַ֙יִךְ֙ לֹ֣א חַלְלֵי־חֶ֔רֶב וְלֹ֖א מֵתֵ֥י מִלְחָמָֽה׃

   te-shu-OT me-le-A IR ho-mi-YA kir-YA a-li-ZA kha-la-LA-yikh LO khal-le-KHE-rev ve-LO me-TE mil-kha-MA

   shoutings or uproars full city tumultuous town exultant or jubilant your slain not slain of sword or slain by sword and not dead ones of or those dead of battle or war

Exegesis

The second clause features chalalayikh {חֲלָלַ֙יִךְ֙ | ḥa-lā-lăy-ykh} ‘your slain’ followed by a double negation, lo challei-cherev {לֹ֣א חַלְלֵי־חֶ֔רֶב | lōʾ ḥal-lê-ye ḥe-reḇ} ‘not slain of the sword’ and ve-lo metei milchamah {וְלֹ֖א מֵתֵ֥י מִלְחָמָֽה | wə-lōʾ meṯ-êy mil-ḥā-mah} ‘and not dead of battle,’ set in antithetical parallel to contrast expected martial deaths with an unspecified calamity. The Hebrew employs a vav-consecutive structure in the second clause to underscore the inevitability of the tragic outcome while preserving the triadic description to reflect both the city’s external clamor and its internal sorrow.