כִּֽי־שְׁתַּ֥יִם רָעֹ֖ות עָשָׂ֣ה עַמִּ֑י אֹתִ֨י עָזְב֜וּ מְקֹ֣ור מַ֣יִם חַיִּ֗ים לַחְצֹ֤ב לָהֶם֙ בֹּארֹ֔ות בֹּארֹת֙ נִשְׁבָּרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־יָכִ֖לוּ הַמָּֽיִם׃
For two evils my people have done: Me they have forsaken, the fountain of living waters, to hew out for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns which cannot hold the water.
Morphology
- כִּֽי־שְׁתַּ֥יִם (ki-shetayim) – Root: שׁתים; Form: Conjunction + numeral feminine dual absolute; Translation: “For two”; Notes: Introduces explanation or reason, counting the “evils.”
- רָעֹ֖ות (raʿot) – Root: רעע; Form: Noun, feminine plural absolute; Translation: “evils”; Notes: Modifies “two”; refers to moral rebellion.
- עָשָׂ֣ה (ʿasah) – Root: עשה; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “he has done”; Notes: Refers to Yisraʾel; verb precedes subject in typical Hebrew word order.
- עַמִּ֑י (ʿammi) – Root: עם; Form: Noun, masculine singular construct + 1cs suffix; Translation: “my people”; Notes: Possessive relationship with YHWH.
- אֹתִ֨י (ʾoti) – Root: את; Form: Direct object marker + 1cs suffix; Translation: “Me”; Notes: Direct object of “they have forsaken.”
- עָזְב֜וּ (ʿazvu) – Root: עזב; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person common plural; Translation: “they have forsaken”; Notes: Refers to abandonment of YHWH.
- מְקֹ֣ור (meqor) – Root: מקור; Form: Noun, masculine singular absolute; Translation: “fountain, source”; Notes: Often symbolic of divine sustenance and life.
- מַ֣יִם (mayim) – Root: מים; Form: Noun, masculine dual (plural in form); Translation: “waters”; Notes: Common noun for water; modified by “living.”
- חַיִּ֗ים (ḥayyim) – Root: חיה; Form: Adjective, masculine plural absolute; Translation: “living”; Notes: Qualifies “waters” as flowing and life-giving.
- לַחְצֹ֤ב (laḥtsov) – Root: חצב; Form: Lamed + Qal infinitive construct; Translation: “to hew”; Notes: Indicates purpose or intent.
- לָהֶם֙ (lahem) – Root: הם; Form: Preposition + 3mp suffix; Translation: “for themselves”; Notes: Emphasizes their self-reliance.
- בֹּארֹ֔ות (borot) – Root: באר; Form: Noun, feminine plural absolute; Translation: “cisterns”; Notes: Used here as contrast to a fountain.
- בֹּארֹת֙ (borot) – Root: באר; Form: Repetition; Translation: “cisterns”; Notes: Stylistic parallelism in Hebrew poetry.
- נִשְׁבָּרִ֔ים (nishbarim) – Root: שבר; Form: Nifal participle masculine plural; Translation: “broken”; Notes: Describes the defective nature of their substitute.
- אֲשֶׁ֥ר (ʾasher) – Root: אשר; Form: Relative particle; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces a relative clause.
- לֹא־יָכִ֖לוּ (lo-yakhilu) – Root: יכל; Form: Qal perfect 3mp with negation; Translation: “could not”; Notes: Denotes inability.
- הַמָּֽיִם (hamayim) – Root: מים; Form: Noun, masculine dual with definite article; Translation: “the water”; Notes: Object of the verb “contain/hold.”