Jeremiah 15:12

הֲיָרֹ֨עַ בַּרְזֶ֧ל בַּרְזֶ֛ל מִצָּפֹ֖ון וּנְחֹֽשֶׁת׃

Can iron break iron from the north and bronze?

Morphology

1. הֲיָרֹעַ (ha-yaroaʿ) – Root: רוע (roaʿ); Form: Hifil imperfect 3rd person masculine singular with interrogative prefix; Translation: “Can it break?”; Notes: Interrogative introducing a rhetorical question expecting a negative answer. Hifil stem gives causative sense—“cause to break.”
2. בַּרְזֶל (barzel) – Root: ברזל (barzel); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “iron”; Notes: First occurrence of the object under question—generic iron.
3. בַּרְזֶל (barzel) – Root: ברזל (barzel); Form: Noun masculine singular (repeated); Translation: “iron”; Notes: Possibly emphatic or parallel reference to a particular iron—see next clause.
4. מִצָּפֹון (mi-tsafon) – Root: צפון (tsafon); Form: Preposition מִן + noun masculine singular; Translation: “from the north”; Notes: Likely describes the origin of the stronger iron, possibly symbolic of invading powers like Babel.
5. וּנְחֹשֶׁת (u-neḥoshet) – Root: נחשת (neḥoshet); Form: Conjunction + noun feminine singular; Translation: “and bronze”; Notes: Paired with iron from the north, emphasizing unmatched strength.