מִ֚י בְּכָל־אֱלֹהֵ֣י הָֽאֲרָצֹ֔ות אֲשֶׁר־הִצִּ֥ילוּ אֶת־אַרְצָ֖ם מִיָּדִ֑י כִּי־יַצִּ֧יל יְהוָ֛ה אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם מִיָּדִֽי׃
Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their land from my hand, that YHWH should deliver Yerushalayim from my hand?’”
Morphology
- מִ֚י (mi) – Root: מי; Form: Interrogative pronoun; Translation: “Who?”; Notes: Begins a rhetorical challenge questioning divine power.
- בְּכָל־אֱלֹהֵ֣י (be-khol-Elohei) – Root: כל, אלה; Form: Preposition + noun construct plural; Translation: “among all the gods of”; Notes: Refers to the deities of conquered nations.
- הָאֲרָצֹ֔ות (ha-aratsot) – Root: ארץ; Form: Definite noun feminine plural; Translation: “the lands”; Notes: Foreign territories subdued by Ashshur.
- אֲשֶׁר־הִצִּ֥ילוּ (asher-hitsilu) – Root: נצל; Form: Relative pronoun + Hifil perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “who have delivered”; Notes: Refers to the gods’ alleged failures.
- אֶת־אַרְצָ֖ם (et-artsam) – Root: ארץ; Form: Accusative marker + noun feminine singular + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “their land”; Notes: The land belonging to each nation.
- מִיָּדִ֑י (mi-yadi) – Root: יד; Form: Preposition + noun feminine singular construct + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “from my hand”; Notes: Symbol of power and control.
- כִּי־יַצִּ֧יל (ki-yatsil) – Root: נצל; Form: Conjunction + Hifil imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “that [He] should deliver”; Notes: Introduces the sarcastic implication of the speaker.
- יְהוָ֛ה (YHWH) – Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: Name of the God of Yisraʾel, singled out as powerless in comparison.
- אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם (et-Yerushalayim) – Form: Accusative marker + proper noun; Translation: “Yerushalayim”; Notes: Target of Ashshur’s siege and the object of the statement.
- מִיָּדִֽי (mi-yadi) – Root: יד; Form: Preposition + construct noun + 1st person singular suffix (repeated); Translation: “from my hand”; Notes: Reiterates the boast of invincibility.