מֵתִים֙ בַּל־יִחְי֔וּ רְפָאִ֖ים בַּל־יָקֻ֑מוּ לָכֵ֤ן פָּקַ֨דְתָּ֙ וַתַּשְׁמִידֵ֔ם וַתְּאַבֵּ֥ד כָּל־זֵ֖כֶר לָֽמֹו׃
The dead shall not live, the shades shall not rise; therefore You have visited and destroyed them, and caused all memory of them to perish.
Morphology
- מֵתִים (metim) – Root: מות; Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “the dead”; Notes: Refers to those who have died; subject of the clause.
- בַּל־יִחְי֔וּ (bal-yiḥyu) – Root: חיה; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “shall not live”; Notes: בַּל is a poetic/literary negation.
- רְפָאִים (refaʾim) – Root: רפא; Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “shades,” “ghosts”; Notes: Refers to departed spirits or the dead in Sheʾol, often with connotation of weakness or helplessness.
- בַּל־יָקֻמוּ (bal-yaqumu) – Root: קום; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural (passive); Translation: “shall not rise”; Notes: Again with בַּל, poetic negation.
- לָכֵן (lakhen) – Root: כן; Form: Adverb/conjunction; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Introduces consequence or result.
- פָּקַדְתָּ (paqadta) – Root: פקד; Form: Qal perfect 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “You visited”; Notes: Can imply divine intervention or judgment.
- וַתַּשְׁמִידֵם (vattashmidem) – Root: שמד; Form: Hifil (causative) imperfect with vav-consecutive 2nd person masculine singular + 3rd person plural suffix; Translation: “and You destroyed them”; Notes: Emphasizes total eradication.
- וַתְּאַבֵּד (vatteʾabbed) – Root: אבד; Form: Piel imperfect with vav-consecutive 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “and You caused to perish”; Notes: Intensive causative; stresses total loss.
- כָּל־זֵכֶר (kol-zekher) – Root: זכר; Form: Noun masculine singular in construct with “kol”; Translation: “all memory”; Notes: Refers to remembrance or legacy.
- לָמֹו (lamo) – Root: הם; Form: Preposition + 3rd person plural suffix; Translation: “of them”; Notes: Poetic form meaning “to them” or “of them.”