הֲלֹֽוא־שָׁמַ֤עְתָּ לְמֵֽרָחֹוק֙ אֹותָ֣הּ עָשִׂ֔יתִי מִ֥ימֵי קֶ֖דֶם וִיצַרְתִּ֑יהָ עַתָּ֣ה הֲבֵאתִ֔יהָ וּתְהִ֗י לְהַשְׁאֹ֛ות גַּלִּ֥ים נִצִּ֖ים עָרִ֥ים בְּצֻרֹֽות׃
“Have you not heard? From distant time I have done it, from days of old I formed it; now I have brought it to pass, that it should be for making desolate fortified cities into heaps of ruin.
Morphology
- הֲלֹֽוא־ (halo) – Root: לא; Form: Interrogative particle with negative; Translation: “Have not…?”; Notes: Introduces a rhetorical question expecting a positive answer.
- שָׁמַ֤עְתָּ (shamʿata) – Root: שמע; Form: Qal perfect 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “you heard”; Notes: Refers to past knowledge.
- לְמֵֽרָחֹוק֙ (le-meraḥoq) – Root: רחוק; Form: Preposition + noun, masculine singular; Translation: “from afar”; Notes: Temporal or spatial distance.
- אֹותָ֣הּ (otah) – Root: אות; Form: Direct object marker + 3rd person feminine singular pronoun suffix; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers to the plan or deed mentioned.
- עָשִׂ֔יתִי (ʿasiti) – Root: עשה; Form: Qal perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I have done”; Notes: Indicates action completed in the past.
- מִ֥ימֵי (mi-yemei) – Root: יום; Form: Preposition + construct plural masculine; Translation: “from days of”; Notes: Construct with next noun.
- קֶ֖דֶם (qedem) – Root: קדם; Form: Noun, masculine singular absolute; Translation: “ancient time”; Notes: Refers to primordial or distant past.
- וִיצַרְתִּ֑יהָ (viyetsartihah) – Root: יצר; Form: Qal perfect 1st person singular with vav-conjunctive + 3fs suffix; Translation: “and I formed it”; Notes: “It” again refers to the plan or purpose.
- עַתָּ֣ה (ʿattah) – Root: עת; Form: Adverb; Translation: “now”; Notes: Temporal marker introducing fulfillment.
- הֲבֵאתִ֔יהָ (haveʾtihah) – Root: בוא; Form: Hifil perfect 1st person singular + 3fs suffix; Translation: “I have brought it”; Notes: Causative verb—God causes fulfillment.
- וּתְהִ֗י (u-tehī) – Root: היה; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person feminine singular with vav-conjunctive; Translation: “and it should be”; Notes: Describes result of the prior action.
- לְהַשְׁאֹ֛ות (lehashʾot) – Root: שאה; Form: Lamed-infinite construct Hifil; Translation: “to make desolate”; Notes: Purpose clause indicating divine intent.
- גַּלִּ֥ים (gallim) – Root: גלל; Form: Noun, masculine plural; Translation: “heaps”; Notes: Ruins or mounds of destruction.
- נִצִּ֖ים (nitsim) – Root: נצה; Form: Noun/adjective, masculine plural; Translation: “ruined”; Notes: Possibly used adjectivally here.
- עָרִ֥ים (ʿarim) – Root: עיר; Form: Noun, feminine plural; Translation: “cities”; Notes: Subject of desolation.
- בְּצֻרֹֽות (betsurot) – Root: צור; Form: Passive participle feminine plural; Translation: “fortified”; Notes: Describes the cities as strongholds.