וַיָּבֹ֤א בֵית־אָבִיו֙ עָפְרָ֔תָה וַֽיַּהֲרֹ֞ג אֶת־אֶחָ֧יו בְּנֵֽי־יְרֻבַּ֛עַל שִׁבְעִ֥ים אִ֖ישׁ עַל־אֶ֣בֶן אֶחָ֑ת וַיִּוָּתֵ֞ר יֹותָ֧ם בֶּן־יְרֻבַּ֛עַל הַקָּטֹ֖ן כִּ֥י נֶחְבָּֽא׃
And he came to the house of his father at ʿOfrah and he killed his brothers, the sons of Yerubbaʿal, seventy men on one stone, but Yotam, the youngest son of Yerubbaʿal, was left because he hid.
Walking into Blood: Literary Setting
Abimelekh’s entrance into ʿOfrah is more than a geographical move—it’s a theological one. This verse brims with action, but also treachery. The binyanim used here aren’t decorative—they are knives, masks, shields. Let’s dissect the anatomy of this massacre, verb by verb.
Table of Verbal Forms and Binyanim
| Form | Binyan | Function | Translation Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| וַיָּבֹא | Qal | Simple action (wayyiqtol) | “He came” — direct narrative advancement |
| וַיַּהֲרֹג | Qal | Simple active, violent termination | “He killed” — stark, unsoftened blow |
| וַיִּוָּתֵר | Niphal | Passive survival | “Was left” — passive remainder after massacre |
| נֶחְבָּא | Niphal | Reflexive/passive concealment | “He hid himself” — deliberate, inward action |
Verb-by-Verb Excavation
1. וַיָּבֹא — The Silent Entrance
- Binyan: Qal (simple active)
- Root: ב־ו־א
- Form: Wayyiqtol (3ms)
- Function: Initiates the narrative chain—Abimelekh moves without resistance.
- Notes: The Qal form here reflects the quiet agency of Abimelekh, an entrance with no divine guidance, no pomp—just intent.
2. וַיַּהֲרֹג — The Sledgehammer of Qal
- Binyan: Qal
- Root: ה־ר־ג
- Form: Wayyiqtol (3ms)
- Phonological Note: Notice the silent aleph stem behavior and the standard a-class vowels for wayyiqtol.
- Function: Declares the act of killing without nuance. No passive, no reflexive, no mediation.
- Semantics: Qal here has brutal economy. Piel might have intensified or ritualized; Hiphil might imply causation. Qal just swings the axe.
3. וַיִּוָּתֵר — A Passive Survivor
- Binyan: Niphal
- Root: י־ת־ר
- Form: Wayyiqtol (3ms passive)
- Phonological Note: Dagesh forte in וָּתֵר marks passive doubling. The initial י is lost in the stem.
- Function: Expresses that Yotam did not act—he was acted upon by fate or grace, passively “left.”
- Theological Lens: The verb’s passivity echoes divine preservation—he *was* left, not because he fought or earned it.
4. נֶחְבָּא — When the Verb Hides
- Binyan: Niphal
- Root: ח־ב־א
- Form: Perfect (3ms passive/reflexive)
- Phonological Note: Unusual dagesh in ב due to assimilation; the nun assimilates in the Niphal.
- Function: Indicates reflexive hiding—Yotam intentionally concealed himself.
- Literary Function: This Niphal whispers, where Qal earlier screamed. It retracts, conceals, evades the bloody stone.
The Binyan Canvas
| Verb | Agency | Emotional Texture | Binyan’s Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| וַיַּהֲרֹג | Direct, unambiguous | Violent | Qal strips away emotion—just “killed.” |
| וַיִּוָּתֵר | None (passive) | Tragic survivor | Niphal casts him as spared, not surviving by merit |
| נֶחְבָּא | Self-agency within passivity | Fearful but deliberate | Niphal lets him fade into the shadows |
Echoes in the Stone
There’s no forgiveness in Qal here. Only finality. Abimelekh slaughters in a binyan that doesn’t dress the verb up. But Yotam’s verbs speak differently. וַיִּוָּתֵר and נֶחְבָּא, both Niphal, whisper survival, distance, evasion. In the middle of the massacre, the grammar bends to hint: there’s one left, and not by chance.
This isn’t just morphology. It’s a divine echo through verb forms.
If a Native Speaker Told This
Imagine a native Biblical Hebrew speaker hearing this tale by the firelight in ʿAm Yisraʾel’s camp. The wayyiqtol Qal verbs punch like drumbeats: וַיָּבֹא, וַיַּהֲרֹג. But when they hear וַיִּוָּתֵר… a hush falls. It is not a man left standing—but a soul spared in a divine pause.