מַדּ֨וּעַ בָּ֜אתִי וְאֵ֣ין אִ֗ישׁ קָרָֽאתִי֮ וְאֵ֣ין עֹונֶה֒ הֲקָצֹ֨ור קָצְרָ֤ה יָדִי֙ מִפְּד֔וּת וְאִם־אֵֽין־בִּ֥י כֹ֖חַ לְהַצִּ֑יל הֵ֣ן בְּגַעֲרָתִ֞י אַחֲרִ֣יב יָ֗ם אָשִׂ֤ים נְהָרֹות֙ מִדְבָּ֔ר תִּבְאַ֤שׁ דְּגָתָם֙ מֵאֵ֣ין מַ֔יִם וְתָמֹ֖ת בַּצָּמָֽא׃
Why did I come, and there was no man? I called, but there was no one answering. Is My hand truly shortened from redeeming? Or is there no power in Me to deliver? Behold, at My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make rivers a wilderness; their fish stink from lack of water, and die from thirst.
Morphology
- מַדּ֨וּעַ (madduaʿ) – Root: דעע; Form: Interrogative adverb; Translation: “Why”; Notes: Used in rhetorical questions.
- בָּ֜אתִי (ba’ti) – Root: בוא; Form: Qal perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I came”; Notes: Refers to YHWH’s coming in search of response.
- וְאֵ֣ין (ve-ʾein) – Root: אין; Form: Negative existential; Translation: “and there was no”; Notes: Indicates absence of subject.
- אִ֗ישׁ (ʾish) – Root: אישׁ; Form: Noun, masculine singular; Translation: “man”; Notes: Generic term for human being.
- קָרָֽאתִי (qara’ti) – Root: קרא; Form: Qal perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I called”; Notes: Emphasizes divine initiative.
- וְאֵ֣ין (ve-ʾein) – Root: אין; Form: Negative existential; Translation: “but there was no”; Notes: Parallel with earlier clause.
- עֹונֶה (ʿoneh) – Root: ענה; Form: Qal participle masculine singular; Translation: “one answering”; Notes: Continues the rhetorical lament.
- הֲקָצֹ֨ור (ha-qatsor) – Root: קצר; Form: Interrogative particle + Qal infinitive absolute; Translation: “Is shortened”; Notes: Used rhetorically.
- קָצְרָ֤ה (qatsrah) – Root: קצר; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “was shortened”; Notes: Refers to YHWH’s hand metaphorically.
- יָדִי֙ (yadi) – Root: יד; Form: Noun, feminine singular construct + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “My hand”; Notes: Symbol of power.
- מִפְּד֔וּת (mi-pedut) – Root: פדה; Form: Preposition + noun, feminine singular; Translation: “from redemption”; Notes: Denotes salvific power.
- וְאִם־אֵֽין־ (ve-ʾim-ein) – Roots: אם and אין; Form: Conjunction + negative existential; Translation: “or is there not”; Notes: Continues rhetorical challenge.
- בִּ֥י (bi) – Root: ב; Form: Preposition + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “in Me”; Notes: Refers to divine power.
- כֹ֖חַ (koach) – Root: כח; Form: Noun, masculine singular; Translation: “strength”; Notes: Power to save or redeem.
- לְהַצִּ֑יל (le-hatsil) – Root: נצל; Form: Hiphil infinitive construct; Translation: “to deliver”; Notes: Emphasizes divine saving activity.
- הֵ֣ן (hen) – Root: הן; Form: Interjection; Translation: “Behold”; Notes: Introduces demonstration.
- בְּגַעֲרָתִ֞י (be-gaʿarati) – Root: גער; Form: Preposition + noun feminine singular + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “at My rebuke”; Notes: Divine judgment metaphor.
- אַחֲרִ֣יב (aḥariv) – Root: חרב; Form: Hiphil imperfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I dry up” or “I make desolate”; Notes: Active demonstration of power.
- יָ֗ם (yam) – Root: ים; Form: Noun, masculine singular; Translation: “sea”; Notes: Object of destruction.
- אָשִׂ֤ים (asim) – Root: שׂום; Form: Qal imperfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I make”; Notes: Continues divine action.
- נְהָרֹות֙ (neharot) – Root: נהר; Form: Noun, masculine plural; Translation: “rivers”; Notes: Plural object of transformation.
- מִדְבָּ֔ר (midbar) – Root: דבר; Form: Noun, masculine singular; Translation: “wilderness”; Notes: Resulting state of rivers.
- תִּבְאַ֤שׁ (tivʾash) – Root: באשׁ; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “they will stink”; Notes: Refers to fish.
- דְּגָתָם֙ (degatam) – Root: דג; Form: Noun feminine singular construct + 3rd person plural suffix; Translation: “their fish”; Notes: Object suffering decay.
- מֵאֵ֣ין (me-ein) – Root: אין; Form: Preposition + negative particle; Translation: “from lack of”; Notes: Cause of fish death.
- מַ֔יִם (mayim) – Root: מים; Form: Noun, masculine dual (in form); Translation: “water”; Notes: Essential resource withheld.
- וְתָמֹ֖ת (ve-tamot) – Root: מות; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “and she will die”; Notes: Refers to fish or region metaphorically.
- בַּצָּמָֽא (ba-tsamaʾ) – Root: צמא; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “from thirst”; Notes: Final condition caused by divine withholding.