Lessonsal-Ḥārith ibn Ḥillizah: Covenant, Tribal Liability and Royal Testimony — Conclusion (verses 68–82)Quiz

ثُمَّ جَاءُوا يَسْتَرْجِعُونَ فَلَمْ تَرْجِعْ لَهُمْ شَامَةٌ وَلَا زَهْرَاءُ
Translation: Then they came seeking to recover their animals, but neither a marked ewe nor a white ewe was returned.

Yastarjiʿūn is a plural imperfect in Form X, “they seek to retrieve.” Fa-lam tarjiʿ has the jussive imperfect after lam. Shāmah wa-lā zahrāʾ are contrasting descriptions of animals; the commentary relates them to the appearance of the livestock.

The effect is to show that not even one animal was restored despite the demand. This is an episode in martial boasting, not a general endorsement of taking property.

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Verse 78: Demand for return and its rejection

al-Ḥārith ibn Ḥillizah: Covenant, Tribal Liability and Royal Testimony — Conclusion (verses 68–82)

ثُمَّ جَاءُوا يَسْتَرْجِعُونَ فَلَمْ تَرْجِعْ لَهُمْ شَامَةٌ وَلَا زَهْرَاءُ
Translation: Then they came seeking to recover their animals, but neither a marked ewe nor a white ewe was returned.

Yastarjiʿūn is a plural imperfect in Form X, “they seek to retrieve.” Fa-lam tarjiʿ has the jussive imperfect after lam. Shāmah wa-lā zahrāʾ are contrasting descriptions of animals; the commentary relates them to the appearance of the livestock.

The effect is to show that not even one animal was restored despite the demand. This is an episode in martial boasting, not a general endorsement of taking property.