Hebrew Form Guide

יְשַׁלֶּמְךָ֣ (yə·šal·lem·ḵā) in 1 Samuel 24:19: Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | second person masculine singular

יְשַׁלֶּמְךָ֣ (yə·šal·lem·ḵā) in 1 Samuel 24:19

Source Word

יְשַׁלֶּמְךָ֣yə·šal·lem·ḵāVerb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | second person masculine singular

First Samuel 24:19 row 10 aligns the H7999 Piel imperfect and second-person suffix with reward you in Saul's blessing.

How The Form Affects Interpretation

May the Lord reward you places the hoped-for return of good in the Lord's hands and identifies David as the one whose mercy Saul has finally acknowledged. May communicates the volitional force of Saul's blessing, the Lord supplies the third-person subject, and you directly renders the attached suffix addressed to David.

How To Communicate It

Identify the Lord as the desired agent and David as suffix-marked recipient, then distinguish Saul's reported blessing from the narrator's own evaluation.

What Not To Say

  • Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
  • Do not convert a character's blessing into an automatic divine guarantee or sever it from David's specific act of mercy toward Saul.
  • The imperfect takes optative force from the May the Lord speech setting.
  • The form does not turn Saul into a reliable prophet, guarantee a transaction whenever someone does good, or define reward apart from his reported blessing.

What Does The Label Mean?

Profile

Hebrew-verb

Part of Speech

Verb

Form Label

Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | second person masculine singular

Stem

Piel

Aspect

Imperf

Person

Third

Gender

Masculine

Number

Singular

State

Not applicable

Suffix

Second person masculine singular

Aspect Note

The Piel imperfect names the Lord as masculine singular subject and attaches a second-person masculine singular suffix for David. Within Saul's May the Lord statement, the imperfect carries the force of a wish or blessing rather than a narrator's simple prediction.

Verse Role

The form directs Saul's desired repayment away from himself and toward the Lord, with David as the person to be rewarded for mercy shown that day.

What The Form Does In This Verse

Attached To

Saul's response after David proves that he spared the king in the cave

Governed By

The contrast Saul draws between David's good treatment and his own evil response, followed by his recognition of David's future kingship

Role In The Phrase

The form directs Saul's desired repayment away from himself and toward the Lord, with David as the person to be rewarded for mercy shown that day.

What It Is Not Doing

The form does not turn Saul into a reliable prophet, guarantee a transaction whenever someone does good, or define reward apart from his reported blessing.

How Much The Form Matters Here

Interpretive Weight

High: The form captures Saul entrusting David's recompense to the Lord after recognizing the good David returned for evil.

Syntax Profile

The Piel imperfect names the Lord as masculine singular subject and attaches a second-person masculine singular suffix for David. Within Saul's May the Lord statement, the imperfect carries the force of a wish or blessing rather than a narrator's simple prediction.. The form directs Saul's desired repayment away from himself and toward the Lord, with David as the person to be rewarded for mercy shown that day.. Attached to Saul's response after David proves that he spared the king in the cave. Governed by the contrast Saul draws between David's good treatment and his own evil response, followed by his recognition of David's future kingship. The form does not turn Saul into a reliable prophet, guarantee a transaction whenever someone does good, or define reward apart from his reported blessing.

Reader Question

What kind of statement is may the Lord reward you in First Samuel 24:19? It is Saul's blessing or wish that the Lord repay David with good for sparing him that day.

Translation Effect

Direct: May communicates the volitional force of Saul's blessing, the Lord supplies the third-person subject, and you directly renders the attached suffix addressed to David.

Where Caution Is Needed

The imperfect takes optative force from the May the Lord speech setting. With good describes the hoped-for repayment, while the verb and suffix identify the action and recipient.

Fallacies To Avoid

The imperfect flattened into a certain forecast without accounting for the wish introduced by Saul's speech: Do not convert a character's blessing into an automatic divine guarantee or sever it from David's specific act of mercy toward Saul. reward you treated as a guaranteed prosperity mechanism or as proof that every statement Saul makes is divinely authoritative: Keep "reward you" connected to יְשַׁלֶּמְךָ֣, row 10, and the full 1 Samuel 24:19 clause.

How The Interpretation Is Derived

Textual Witness

First Samuel 24:19 row 10 aligns the H7999 Piel imperfect and second-person suffix with reward you in Saul's blessing.

Lexical Identity

This row 10 H7999 witness concerns Saul's appeal for the Lord to repay David's good, distinct from Jonah's abandonment of covenant faithfulness in Jonah 2:9.

Grammar In Context

The Piel imperfect names the Lord as masculine singular subject and attaches a second-person masculine singular suffix for David. Within Saul's May the Lord statement, the imperfect carries the force of a wish or blessing rather than a narrator's simple prediction.

Passage Meaning

First Samuel 24:16-22 records Saul's emotional recognition that David acted more righteously by sparing him, his blessing over David, and his request concerning his descendants.

Canonical Fit

The blessing belongs to the conflict between Saul and the anointed future king; its ethical force rests on David's concrete refusal to kill Saul when he had opportunity.

Communication Use

Identify the Lord as the desired agent and David as suffix-marked recipient, then distinguish Saul's reported blessing from the narrator's own evaluation.

Do Not Derive

Do not convert a character's blessing into an automatic divine guarantee or sever it from David's specific act of mercy toward Saul.