וְיֹֽשְׁבֵיהֶן֙ קִצְרֵי־יָ֔ד חַ֖תּוּ וָבֹ֑שׁוּ הָי֞וּ עֵ֤שֶׂב שָׂדֶה֙ וִ֣ירַק דֶּ֔שֶׁא חֲצִ֣יר גַּגֹּ֔ות וּשְׁדֵמָ֖ה לִפְנֵ֥י קָמָֽה׃
And their inhabitants were short of hand, they were dismayed and put to shame; they were like the grass of the field and green herb, grass of rooftops and a scorched field before it rises up.
Morphology
- וְיֹֽשְׁבֵיהֶן֙ (ve-yosheveihen) – Root: ישׁב; Form: Conjunction + participle masculine plural with 3rd person feminine plural suffix; Translation: “and their inhabitants”; Notes: Feminine suffix refers back to “cities.”
- קִצְרֵי־יָ֔ד (qitstrei-yad) – Root: קצר + יד; Form: Construct plural adjective + noun; Translation: “short of hand”; Notes: Idiomatic for powerless or feeble.
- חַ֖תּוּ (ḥattu) – Root: חתת; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person common plural; Translation: “they were dismayed”; Notes: Often connotes terror or breakdown.
- וָבֹ֑שׁוּ (va-vošu) – Root: בושׁ; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person common plural with waw; Translation: “and they were ashamed”; Notes: Expresses emotional defeat.
- הָי֞וּ (hayu) – Root: היה; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person common plural; Translation: “they were”; Notes: Introduces metaphors to follow.
- עֵ֤שֶׂב שָׂדֶה֙ (ʿesev sadeh) – Root: עשׂב + שׂדה; Form: Noun in construct; Translation: “grass of the field”; Notes: Symbol of fragility.
- וִ֣ירַק דֶּ֔שֶׁא (vi-araq desheʾ) – Root: ירק + דשׁא; Form: Conjunction + noun + noun; Translation: “and green herb”; Notes: Lushness but easily withered.
- חֲצִ֣יר גַּגֹּ֔ות (ḥatsir gagot) – Root: חציר + גג; Form: Noun + construct plural; Translation: “grass of rooftops”; Notes: Temporary growth on flat roofs, quickly scorched.
- וּשְׁדֵמָ֖ה (u-shedemah) – Root: שׁדם; Form: Conjunction + noun, feminine singular; Translation: “and a scorched field”; Notes: Possibly from שְׁדֵם = scorched place, rare term.
- לִפְנֵ֥י (lifnei) – Root: פנה; Form: Preposition with construct form; Translation: “before”; Notes: Temporal preposition.
- קָמָֽה (qamah) – Root: קום; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “it rises up”; Notes: Refers to growth, but here meaning “before it grows.”