Isaiah 5:20

הֹ֣וי הָאֹמְרִ֥ים לָרַ֛ע טֹ֖וב וְלַטֹּ֣וב רָ֑ע שָׂמִ֨ים חֹ֤שֶׁךְ לְאֹור֙ וְאֹ֣ור לְחֹ֔שֶׁךְ שָׂמִ֥ים מַ֛ר לְמָתֹ֖וק וּמָתֹ֥וק לְמָֽר׃ ס

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

Morphology

1. הֹוי (hoy) – Root: הוי (hoy); Form: Interjection; Translation: “Woe”; Notes: A prophetic lament announcing judgment.
2. הָאֹמְרִים (ha-ʾomrim) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal participle masculine plural with definite article; Translation: “those who say”; Notes: Refers to those redefining moral categories.
3. לָרַע (la-raʿ) – Root: רעע (raʿaʿ); Form: Preposition לְ + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “evil”; Notes: The object being falsely labeled “good.”
4. טֹוב (tov) – Root: טוב (tov); Form: Adjective masculine singular; Translation: “good”; Notes: Declared of that which is actually evil.
5. וְלַטֹּוב (ve-la-tov) – Root: טוב (tov); Form: Conjunction + preposition + definite adjective masculine singular; Translation: “and to the good”; Notes: The object being misidentified in reversal.
6. רָע (raʿ) – Root: רעע (raʿaʿ); Form: Adjective masculine singular; Translation: “evil”; Notes: What is falsely declared of the good.
7. שָׂמִים (samim) – Root: שׂים (sim); Form: Qal participle masculine plural; Translation: “who put” or “place”; Notes: Refers to moral misplacement or distortion.
8. חֹשֶׁךְ (ḥoshekh) – Root: חשׁך (ḥ-sh-kh); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “darkness”; Notes: Represents evil, ignorance, or falsehood.
9. לְאֹור (le-or) – Root: אור (ʾor); Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “for light”; Notes: That which darkness is falsely substituted for.
10. וְאֹור (ve-or) – Root: אור (ʾor); Form: Conjunction + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and light”; Notes: The actual good being mislabeled.
11. לְחֹשֶׁךְ (le-ḥoshekh) – Root: חשׁך (ḥ-sh-kh); Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “for darkness”; Notes: Darkness is what light is being falsely equated to.
12. שָׂמִים (samim) – Root: שׂים (sim); Form: Qal participle masculine plural (repeated); Translation: “who put”; Notes: Continuing the pattern of false reversal.
13. מַר (mar) – Root: מרר (marar); Form: Adjective masculine singular; Translation: “bitter”; Notes: Represents that which is unpleasant, harmful.
14. לְמָתֹוק (le-matok) – Root: מתק (matak); Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “for sweet”; Notes: Indicates inversion of good and bad experience.
15. וּמָתֹוק (u-matok) – Root: מתק (matak); Form: Conjunction + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and sweet”; Notes: True goodness being called bitter.
16. לְמָר (le-mar) – Root: מרר (marar); Form: Preposition + adjective masculine singular; Translation: “for bitter”; Notes: Final reversal; the sweet is degraded.