וְזֶ֨בַח וְצַלְמֻנָּ֜ע בַּקַּרְקֹ֗ר וּמַחֲנֵיהֶ֤ם עִמָּם֙ כַּחֲמֵ֤שֶׁת עָשָׂר֙ אֶ֔לֶף כֹּ֚ל הַנֹּ֣ותָרִ֔ים מִכֹּ֖ל מַחֲנֵ֣ה בְנֵי־קֶ֑דֶם וְהַנֹּ֣פְלִ֔ים מֵאָ֨ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים אֶ֛לֶף אִ֖ישׁ שֹׁ֥לֵֽף חָֽרֶב׃
(Judges 8:10)
This verse unfolds like a battlefield report, loaded with proper names, geographical markers, numerical details, and a closing note of military characterization. Its syntax is dense, a stacking of nominal and participial clauses that serve as a static snapshot rather than a sequential action narrative. Let’s walk through how the grammar structures the scene.
1. Word Order: Stacked Nominals Before Action
The opening sequence וְזֶבַח וְצַלְמֻנָּע (and Zebah and Zalmunna) places the subjects first, followed by their location בַּקַּרְקֹר (“in Qarqor”). This fronted subject–location arrangement is atypical for narrative Hebrew, which normally begins with a verb (VSO). Here, the absence of an opening verb signals description rather than action, setting a scene rather than advancing it.
2. Clause Structure: Parataxis Over Hypotaxis
The verse is a chain of clauses joined mostly by ו (“and”), forming a paratactic structure. We have two main nominal clauses:
- וְזֶבַח וְצַלְמֻנָּע בַּקַּרְקֹר וּמַחֲנֵיהֶם עִמָּם כַּחֲמֵשֶׁת עָשָׂר אֶלֶף…
- וְהַנֹּפְלִים מֵאָה וְעֶשְׂרִים אֶלֶף אִישׁ…
No subordinating conjunctions like כִּי or אֲשֶׁר appear; the clauses are coordinated, producing a report-like, matter-of-fact flow.
3. Nominal Phrases: Expansive and Appositive
- וּמַחֲנֵיהֶם עִמָּם – A head noun (מַחֲנֵיהֶם, “their camp”) with a pronominal suffix, followed by the prepositional phrase עִמָּם (“with them”), functioning appositionally to the preceding location phrase.
- כֹּל הַנֹּתָרִים מִכֹּל מַחֲנֵה בְנֵי־קֶדֶם – A construct chain with the quantifier כֹּל governing a definite participle (הַנֹּתָרִים, “the survivors”), further qualified by a prepositional genitive מִכֹּל מַחֲנֵה בְנֵי־קֶדֶם (“from all the camp of the people of the east”). The definiteness here is stacked and cumulative.
4. Verbal Phrases: Or the Lack Thereof
The absence of finite verbs in the main clauses reinforces the verse’s static, descriptive quality. Only participles (הַנֹּתָרִים, “the remaining”; הַנֹּפְלִים, “the fallen”) act as predicates. These carry a durative or resultant state aspect, depicting ongoing conditions after a battle rather than momentary acts.
5. Agreement
Agreement is meticulous: participles match their subjects in gender and number—הַנֹּתָרִים and הַנֹּפְלִים are masculine plural to match the implied male warriors. Numerals follow the masculine-feminine reversal rule: חֲמֵשֶׁת עָשָׂר (fifteen, masculine form) aligns with אֶלֶף (masculine), and מֵאָה וְעֶשְׂרִים is in the expected cardinal sequence.
6. Tense, Aspect, and Mood
The participial predicates function with a present-resultative nuance: “are remaining” and “are fallen.” This frames the situation as a current reality in the narrative moment, emphasizing the enduring aftermath of the battle rather than the event itself.
7. Waw-Consecutive and Sequential Force
While וְ appears repeatedly, it does not introduce wayyiqtol forms here—only nominal clauses and participles. This suggests that the waw is purely coordinative, stringing together scene elements rather than narrating sequential actions.
8. Emphasis and Focus
The placement of the personal names זֶבַח and צַלְמֻנָּע at the head of the verse creates immediate focus on the defeated kings. By fronting these names and their location, the syntax ensures that the reader’s attention is anchored on the surviving leaders before their depleted army is described.
9. Discourse Analysis: A Freeze-Frame of Defeat
Within the larger battle narrative, this verse functions like a still photograph: the kings in retreat, their shrunken camp beside them, and the overwhelming tally of the slain. The syntax mirrors this frozen tableau—no advancing verbs, only descriptors. It’s an inventory of survival and loss, placing the reader in the aftermath rather than the action.
The Stillness After the Storm
The verse’s syntax deliberately resists narrative momentum. By leaning entirely on nominal structures and participles, it forces the audience to linger on the survivors and the dead, emphasizing the scale of defeat and the isolation of the leaders. The grammar here is not merely a vehicle for information—it is the architecture of the scene’s emotional weight.