Isaiah 45:9

הֹ֗וי רָ֚ב אֶת־יֹ֣צְרֹ֔ו חֶ֖רֶשׂ אֶת־חַרְשֵׂ֣י אֲדָמָ֑ה הֲיֹאמַ֨ר חֹ֤מֶר לְיֹֽצְרֹו֙ מַֽה־תַּעֲשֶׂ֔ה וּפָעָלְךָ֖ אֵין־יָדַ֥יִם לֹֽו׃ ס

“Woe to him who contends with his Maker, a potsherd among potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to its former, ‘What are you making?’ or to your work, ‘He has no hands’?

Morphology

1. הֹוי (hoy) – Root: הוי; Form: Interjection; Translation: “Woe”; Notes: Expresses lament, warning, or judgment.
2. רָב (rav) – Root: ריב; Form: Qal participle masculine singular; Translation: “who contends”; Notes: Describes adversarial behavior.
3. אֶת־יֹצְרֹו (et-yotsero) – Root: יצר; Form: Accusative particle אֶת + noun masculine singular with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “with his former”; Notes: Refers to God as the one who shaped or formed.
4. חֶרֶשׂ (ḥeres) – Root: חרשׂ; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “a potsherd”; Notes: Fragment of pottery, symbolizing human frailty.
5. אֶת־חַרְשֵׂי (et-ḥarshei) – Root: חרשׂ; Form: Accusative particle אֶת + noun masculine plural construct with 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “with the potsherds of”; Notes: In apposition with the one contending—emphasizing his low status.
6. אֲדָמָה (adamah) – Root: אדם; Form: Noun feminine singular absolute; Translation: “earth”; Notes: Refers to the substance from which humans are made.
7. הֲיֹאמַר (ha-yomar) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular interrogative; Translation: “Shall he say?”; Notes: Introduces rhetorical question.
8. חֹמֶר (ḥomer) – Root: חמר; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “clay”; Notes: Represents the created object.
9. לְיֹצְרֹו (le-yotsero) – Root: יצר; Form: Preposition לְ + noun masculine singular with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “to its former”; Notes: Indicates direction of address or objection.
10. מַה־תַּעֲשֶׂה (mah-taʿaseh) – Root: עשׂה; Form: Interrogative מַה + Qal imperfect 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “What are you doing?”; Notes: Suggests protest or questioning of divine action.
11. וּפָעָלְךָ (u-faʿalekha) – Root: פעל; Form: Conjunction וְ + noun masculine singular construct with 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “and your work”; Notes: Refers to what the maker produces.
12. אֵין־יָדַיִם (ein-yadayim) – Root: יד; Form: Negative existential particle אֵין + noun feminine dual absolute; Translation: “there are no hands”; Notes: Implies incapacity or defect.
13. לֹו (lo) – Root: לְ; Form: Preposition לְ + third person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to the maker; object of the absurd claim.