2 Kings 11:5

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

He gave them instructions, saying, 'This is what you must do: A third of you who are on duty on the Sabbath are to guard the royal palace—

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיְצַוֵּ֣ם לֵאמֹ֔ר זֶ֥ה הַדָּבָ֖ר אֲשֶׁ֣ר תַּעֲשׂ֑וּן הַשְּׁלִשִׁ֤ית מִכֶּם֙ בָּאֵ֣י הַשַּׁבָּ֔ת וְשֹׁ֣מְרֵ֔י מִשְׁמֶ֖רֶת בֵּ֥ית הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃

Transliteration

And wayəṣawwēm lēʾmōr: This the-dābār that taʿăśûn: The-šəlišît from-you bāʾê the-šabbāt and šōmərê mišmeret bêt the-king.

Grammar Details

• *wayəṣawwēm*: verb, piel imperfect consecutive, 3rd masculine singular with 3rd masculine plural suffix - and he commanded them
• *lēʾmōr*: preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct - saying
• *zeh*: demonstrative pronoun, masculine singular - this
• *haddābār*: definite article + noun, masculine singular - the word/thing
• *ʾăšer*: relative pronoun - that, which
• *taʿăśûn*: verb, qal imperfect, 2nd masculine plural + paragogic nun - you shall do
• *haššəlišît*: definite article + noun, feminine singular - the third part
• *mikkem*: preposition + 2nd masculine plural suffix - from you
• *bāʾê*: verb, qal participle, masculine plural construct - those entering/coming on
• *haššabbāt*: definite article + noun, feminine singular - the Sabbath
• *wə-šōmərê*: conjunction + verb, qal participle, masculine plural construct - and keepers of
• *mišmeret*: noun, feminine singular construct - watch/guard of
• *bêt hammelek*: noun, masculine singular construct + definite article + noun, masculine singular - house of the king

Word Meanings

• *dābār*: word, thing, matter, command
• *šəlišît*: third part, third division, one third
• *bāʾê haššabbāt*: those coming on the Sabbath, those entering duty on the Sabbath
• *šōmərê mišmeret*: keepers of the watch, those maintaining guard duty

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you that enter in on the sabbath shall even be keepers of the watch of the king's house;

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  He commanded them, saying, 'This is what you will do: A third of you who come on duty on the Sabbath shall guard the king's house.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you that enter in on the sabbath shall even be keepers of the watch of the king's house;

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  And he commanded{H6680} them, saying,{H559} This is the thing{H1697} that ye shall do:{H6213} a third part{H7992} of you, that come in{H935} on the sabbath,{H7676} shall be keepers{H8104} of the watch{H4931} of the king's{H4428} house;{H1004}

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  And he commanded{H6680}{(H8762)} them, saying{H559}{(H8800)}, This is the thing{H1697} that ye shall do{H6213}{(H8799)}; A third part{H7992} of you that enter in{H935}{(H8802)} on the sabbath{H7676} shall even be keepers{H8104}{(H8802)} of the watch{H4931} of the king's{H4428} house{H1004};

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  and comaunded them, and sayde: This is it that ye shall do: One thirde parte of you which enter on the Sabbath, shall kepe the watch in the kynges house,

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  And he commanded them, saying, This is it that ye must doe, The third part of you, that commeth on the Sabbath, shall warde towarde the Kings house:

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  And he commaunded them, saying, This is it that ye must do: One third part of you, whose duetie is to come in on the Sabbath day, shall keepe the watch of the kinges house:

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  And he commanded them, saying, This [is] the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you that enter in on the sabbath shall even be keepers of the watch of the king's house;

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  He commanded them, saying, This is the thing that you shall do: a third part of you, who come in on the Sabbath, shall be keepers of the watch of the king's house;

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  and commandeth them, saying, `This `is' the thing that ye do; The third of you `are' going in on the sabbath, and keepers of the charge of the house of the king,

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing that ye shall do: a third part of you, that come in on the sabbath, shall be keepers of the watch of the king's house;

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing that ye shall do: a third part of you, that come in on the sabbath, shall be keepers of the watch of the king's house;

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  And he gave them orders, saying, This is what you are to do: the third part of you, who come in on the Sabbath and keep the watch of the king's house,

• World English Bible (2000)

  He commanded them, saying, "This is the thing that you shall do: a third part of you, who come in on the Sabbath, shall be keepers of the watch of the king's house;

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  He ordered them,“This is what you must do. One third of the unit that is on duty during the Sabbath will guard the royal palace.

Referenced Verses

• 1 Chr 9:25 : 25 Their relatives in their villages were required to come in for seven days at regular intervals to join them.
• 1 Chr 23:3-6 : 3 The Levites, thirty years old and older, were counted by their heads, and the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand. 4 Of these, twenty-four thousand were to oversee the work of the house of the Lord, six thousand were officers and judges, 5 four thousand were gatekeepers, and four thousand praised the Lord with the instruments David had made for worship. 6 David organized them into divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
• 1 Chr 23:32 : 32 In this way they fulfilled their duty to care for the Tent of Meeting, the holy place, and their brothers, the descendants of Aaron, for the service of the house of the Lord.
• 1 Chr 24:3-6 : 3 David, along with Zadok from the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelech from the sons of Ithamar, organized them according to their duties in their service. 4 There were more leaders among the sons of Eleazar than among the sons of Ithamar. They divided them: sixteen heads of ancestral families from the sons of Eleazar, and eight from the sons of Ithamar. 5 They divided them by casting lots, the same for both groups, for there were officials of the sanctuary and officials of God among both the sons of Eleazar and the sons of Ithamar. 6 Shemaiah, son of Nethanel, the scribe, a Levite, recorded their names in the presence of the king, the officials, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the heads of the families of the priests and of the Levites. One family was drawn for Eleazar and another for Ithamar.
• Jer 26:10 : 10 When the officials of Judah heard these things, they went up from the king’s house to the house of the LORD and sat at the entrance of the New Gate of the LORD's house.
• Ezek 44:2-3 : 2 And the LORD said to me, 'This gate shall remain shut; it shall not be opened, and no one may enter through it, for the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered through it. Therefore, it shall remain shut.' 3 Only the prince may sit in it to eat bread before the LORD. He shall enter by way of the porch of the gate and exit the same way.
• Ezek 46:2-3 : 2 The prince will enter from outside through the portico of the gate and stand by the gatepost. The priests shall offer his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he will bow down at the gateway of the gate. Then he will go out, but the gate will not be shut until evening. 3 The people of the land will bow down at the entrance of the same gate before the Lord on the Sabbaths and on the new moons.
• Luke 1:8-9 : 8 Now it happened that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
• 1 Kgs 10:5 : 5 the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attendance of his servants in their attire, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the LORD, she was overwhelmed.
• 2 Kgs 11:19 : 19 He took the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, the guards, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the temple of the LORD. They entered the palace through the gate of the guards, and the king took his seat on the royal throne.
• 2 Kgs 16:18 : 18 Then he removed the Sabbath canopy they had built in the temple and the royal entrance to the outer court, to accommodate the king of Assyria.