וּבָ֧א עָלַ֣יִךְ רָעָ֗ה לֹ֤א תֵדְעִי֙ שַׁחְרָ֔הּ וְתִפֹּ֤ל עָלַ֨יִךְ֙ הֹוָ֔ה לֹ֥א תוּכְלִ֖י כַּפְּרָ֑הּ וְתָבֹ֨א עָלַ֧יִךְ פִּתְאֹ֛ם שֹׁואָ֖ה לֹ֥א תֵדָֽעִי׃
And evil shall come upon you, you will not know its dawn; and disaster shall fall upon you, you will not be able to atone for it; and sudden ruin shall come upon you, you will not know.
Morphology
- וּבָא (u-vaʾ) – Root: בוא (boʾ); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular with conjunctive vav; Translation: “And it came” or “shall come”; Notes: Refers to impending judgment.
- עָלַיִךְ (ʿalayikh) – Root: על (ʿal); Form: Preposition + 2nd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “upon you”; Notes: Direct address to Babylon (feminine).
- רָעָה (raʿah) – Root: רעע (raʿaʿ); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “evil”; Notes: Refers to calamity or affliction.
- לֹא (lo) – Root: לא (lo); Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Denotes negation throughout the verse.
- תֵדְעִי (tediʿi) – Root: ידע (yadaʿ); Form: Qal imperfect 2nd person feminine singular; Translation: “you will know”; Notes: Emphasizes ignorance of the coming judgment.
- שַׁחְרָהּ (shaḥrah) – Root: שחר (shaḥar); Form: Noun masculine singular with 3rd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “its dawn”; Notes: Figurative of beginning or early sign of disaster.
- וְתִפֹּל (ve-tippol) – Root: נפל (nafal); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person feminine singular with conjunctive vav; Translation: “and it shall fall”; Notes: Refers to disaster descending on Babylon.
- הֹוָה (hovah) – Root: הוה (havah); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “disaster”; Notes: A rare poetic term for destruction or ruin.
- תוּכְלִי (tukhli) – Root: יכל (yakhol); Form: Qal imperfect 2nd person feminine singular; Translation: “you will be able”; Notes: Denotes capability or possibility.
- כַּפְּרָהּ (kapperah) – Root: כפר (kafar); Form: Noun feminine singular with 3rd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “its atonement”; Notes: Refers to the possibility of appeasing or expiating the disaster — here denied.
- וְתָבֹא (ve-tavoʾ) – Root: בוא (boʾ); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person feminine singular with vav-consecutive; Translation: “and she shall come”; Notes: Refers to the final catastrophe, described as feminine.
- פִּתְאֹם (pitʾom) – Root: פתם (patam); Form: Adverb; Translation: “suddenly”; Notes: Indicates surprise or unexpectedness.
- שֹׁואָה (shoʾah) – Root: שׁאה (shaʾah); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “ruin”; Notes: A catastrophic destruction, often associated with divine judgment.
- תֵדָעִי (tedaʿi) – Root: ידע (yadaʿ); Form: Qal imperfect 2nd person feminine singular; Translation: “you will know”; Notes: Repetition reinforces that Babylon will be caught unaware.