מַפֶּ֣לֶת

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 מַפֶּ֣לֶת

   ma-PE-let

   the carcass
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 מַפֶּ֣לֶת הָאַרְיֵ֑ה

   ma-PE-let ha-ar-YE

   the carcass of the lion
3. clause🔊 וַיָּ֤שָׁב מִיָּמִים֙ לְקַחְתָּ֔הּ וַיָּ֣סַר לִרְא֔וֹת אֵ֖ת מַפֶּ֣לֶת הָאַרְיֵ֑ה

   va-ya-SHAV mi-ya-MIM le-kha-KHAT-tah va-ya-SAR lir-e-OT ET ma-PE-let ha-ar-YE

   and he returned after days to take her and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion
4. sentence🔊 וַיָּ֤שָׁב מִיָּמִים֙ לְקַחְתָּ֔הּ וַיָּ֣סַר לִרְא֔וֹת אֵ֖ת מַפֶּ֣לֶת הָאַרְיֵ֑ה וְהִנֵּ֨ה עֲדַ֧ת דְּבוֹרִ֛ים בִּגְוִיַּ֥ת הָאַרְיֵ֖ה וּדְבָֽשׁ׃

   va-ya-SHAV mi-ya-MIM le-kha-KHAT-tah va-ya-SAR lir-e-OT ET ma-PE-let ha-ar-YE ve-hin-NE a-daT de-vo-RIM big-vi-YAT ha-ar-YE u-de-VASH

   and he returned after days to take her and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion and behold a swarm of bees in the body of the lion and honey

Exegesis

vayashav {וַיָּשָׁב | vayyāšāḇ} ‘and he returned’ employs a vav-consecutive + Qal imperfect to signal sequential action; miyyāmîm {מִיָּמִים | miyyāmîm} ‘after days’ functions as a temporal adverbial marking the lapse before Samson’s return; the infinitive lekachta {לְקַחְתָּהּ | ləqāḥtāh} ‘to take her’ expresses purpose, while the infinitive lirot {לִרְאוֹת | lir’ōṯ} ‘to see’ with the direct-object marker et {אֵת | ʾēt} introduces mapp̄eleṯ {מַפֶּלֶת | mapp̄eleṯ} ‘carcass’ of haaryeh {הָאַרְיֵה | hāʾāryēh} ‘lion’; the interjection vehinneh {וְהִנֵּה | wə-hinnēh} ‘and behold’ introduces the unexpected discovery; the construct adat {עֲדַת | ʿădat} ‘swarm’ + dvorim {דְּבוֹרִים | dəvôrîm} ‘bees’ within the locative bigviyat {בִּגְוִיַּת | bigəvîyaṯ} ‘in the body’ of the lion creates vivid imagery and heightens the dramatic surprise.

Root and etymology

Root🔊 נ־פ־לn-p-l

“fallen object, carcass”