וְהָיָ֛ה כְּאָבָ֥ק דַּ֖ק הֲמֹ֣ון זָרָ֑יִךְ וּכְמֹ֤ץ עֹבֵר֙ הֲמֹ֣ון עָֽרִיצִ֔ים וְהָיָ֖ה לְפֶ֥תַע פִּתְאֹֽם׃
And it shall be like fine dust, the multitude of your strangers, and like chaff that passes away, the multitude of the ruthless; and it shall happen suddenly, in an instant.
Morphology
- וְהָיָ֛ה (ve-hayah) – Root: היה; Form: Qal waw-consecutive perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And it shall be”; Notes: Introduces a prophetic consequence or simile.
- כְּאָבָ֥ק (ke-ʾavaq) – Root: אבק; Form: Preposition + noun, masculine singular; Translation: “like dust”; Notes: Indicates comparison, emphasizing insignificance or dispersion.
- דַּ֖ק (daq) – Root: דקק; Form: Adjective, masculine singular; Translation: “fine”; Notes: Modifies “dust,” describing it as thin or light.
- הֲמֹ֣ון (hamon) – Root: המון; Form: Noun, masculine singular construct; Translation: “multitude of”; Notes: Used in construct to express possession.
- זָרָ֑יִךְ (zarayikh) – Root: זר; Form: Noun, masculine plural with 2nd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “your strangers”; Notes: Refers to foreign invaders or outsiders.
- וּכְמֹ֤ץ (u-ke-mots) – Root: מוץ; Form: Conjunction + preposition + noun, masculine singular; Translation: “and like chaff”; Notes: Chaff denotes something worthless or easily blown away.
- עֹבֵר֙ (ʿover) – Root: עבר; Form: Qal participle masculine singular; Translation: “that passes”; Notes: Describes fleetingness of the chaff or the ruthless.
- הֲמֹ֣ון (hamon) – Root: המון; Form: Noun, masculine singular construct; Translation: “multitude of”; Notes: Parallel structure as earlier phrase.
- עָֽרִיצִ֔ים (ʿaritsim) – Root: ערץ; Form: Noun, masculine plural; Translation: “ruthless ones”; Notes: Conveys violence or oppression; likely military imagery.
- וְהָיָ֖ה (ve-hayah) – Root: היה; Form: Qal waw-consecutive perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and it shall happen”; Notes: Repetition for rhetorical effect, concluding the prediction.
- לְפֶ֥תַע (le-fetaʿ) – Root: פתע; Form: Preposition + noun, masculine singular; Translation: “suddenly”; Notes: Emphasizes unexpectedness.
- פִּתְאֹֽם (pitʾom) – Root: פתאם; Form: Adverb; Translation: “in an instant”; Notes: Reinforces immediacy and surprise of the event.