וַתִּפֹּ֣ל אֵשׁ־יְהוָ֗ה וַתֹּ֤אכַל אֶת־הָֽעֹלָה֙ וְאֶת־הָ֣עֵצִ֔ים וְאֶת־הָאֲבָנִ֖ים וְאֶת־הֶעָפָ֑ר וְאֶת־הַמַּ֥יִם אֲשֶׁר־בַּתְּעָלָ֖ה לִחֵֽכָה׃
And the fire of YHWH fell, and it consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.
Morphology
- וַתִּפֹּ֣ל (va-tippol) – Root: נפל (nafal); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3fs; Translation: “and it fell”; Notes: Refers to the fire descending dramatically from YHWH.
- אֵשׁ־יְהוָ֗ה (esh-YHWH) – Root: אשׁ (ʾesh), יהוה (YHWH); Form: Noun construct; Translation: “fire of YHWH”; Notes: Sign of divine intervention.
- וַתֹּ֤אכַל (va-toʾkhal) – Root: אכל (ʾakhal); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3fs; Translation: “and it consumed”; Notes: Describes the total destruction by fire.
- אֶת־הָֽעֹלָה֙ (et-haʿolah) – Root: עלה (ʿalah); Form: Direct object marker + definite feminine noun; Translation: “the burnt offering”; Notes: Main object of the sacrifice.
- וְאֶת־הָ֣עֵצִ֔ים (ve-et-haʿetsim) – Root: עץ (ʿets); Form: Direct object marker + definite plural noun; Translation: “and the wood”; Notes: Secondary object burned by the fire.
- וְאֶת־הָאֲבָנִ֖ים (ve-et-haʾavanim) – Root: אבן (ʾeven); Form: Direct object marker + definite plural noun; Translation: “and the stones”; Notes: Even the stones were consumed, showing extraordinary power.
- וְאֶת־הֶעָפָ֑ר (ve-et-heʿafar) – Root: עפר (ʿafar); Form: Direct object marker + definite masculine noun; Translation: “and the dust”; Notes: Dust typically would not burn, emphasizing the miracle.
- וְאֶת־הַמַּ֥יִם (ve-et-ha-mayim) – Root: מים (mayim); Form: Direct object marker + definite noun; Translation: “and the water”; Notes: The water poured on the altar was also consumed.
- אֲשֶׁר־בַּתְּעָלָ֖ה (asher-ba-teʿalah) – Root: אשר (ʾasher), תעל (taʿalah); Form: Relative pronoun + preposition + definite noun; Translation: “that was in the trench”; Notes: Describes the location of the water.
- לִחֵֽכָה (liḥekhah) – Root: לחך (laḥakh); Form: Qal perfect 3fs; Translation: “it licked up”; Notes: Vivid image of the fire consuming even the water completely.