Isaiah 59:15

וַתְּהִ֤י הָֽאֱמֶת֙ נֶעְדֶּ֔רֶת וְסָ֥ר מֵרָ֖ע מִשְׁתֹּולֵ֑ל וַיַּ֧רְא יְהוָ֛ה וַיֵּ֥רַע בְּעֵינָ֖יו כִּֽי־אֵ֥ין מִשְׁפָּֽט׃

And truth was lacking, and whoever turned from evil was despoiled; and YHWH saw, and it was evil in His eyes that there was no justice.

Morphology

1. וַתְּהִי (va-tehi) – Root: היה; Form: Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “And it was”; Notes: Refers to the state of truth being absent.
2. הָאֱמֶת (ha-emet) – Root: אמת; Form: Definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “the truth”; Notes: Subject of the verb, represents moral and societal reliability.
3. נֶעְדֶּרֶת (neʿderet) – Root: עדר; Form: Nifal participle feminine singular; Translation: “was lacking” / “was gone”; Notes: Passive participle expressing absence.
4. וְסָר (ve-sar) – Root: סור; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and turned aside”; Notes: Refers to someone departing from evil.
5. מֵרָע (me-raʿ) – Root: רעע; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “from evil”; Notes: Object from which the person withdraws.
6. מִשְׁתֹּולֵל (mishtolel) – Root: שׁלל; Form: Hitpael participle masculine singular; Translation: “is despoiled” / “is plundered”; Notes: Hitpael here has a passive or reflexive nuance, “suffers violence.”
7. וַיַּרְא (va-yarʾ) – Root: ראה; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And He saw”; Notes: YHWH is the subject observing the condition.
8. יְהוָה (YHWH) – Root: Divine Name; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: Subject of the verb “saw.”
9. וַיֵּרַע (va-yeraʿ) – Root: רעע; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and it was evil”; Notes: Refers to YHWH’s reaction to what He saw.
10. בְּעֵינָיו (be-ʿeinav) – Root: עין; Form: Preposition + noun feminine plural with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “in His eyes”; Notes: Idiom for divine displeasure.
11. כִּי (ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “that”; Notes: Introduces the reason for divine displeasure.
12. אֵין (ʾein) – Root: אין; Form: Negative existential particle; Translation: “there is no”; Notes: Denotes absence.
13. מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) – Root: שׁפט; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “justice”; Notes: The absence of mishpat is the central grievance of the verse.