כִּ֤י מְנָֽאֲפִים֙ מָלְאָ֣ה הָאָ֔רֶץ כִּֽי־מִפְּנֵ֤י אָלָה֙ אָבְלָ֣ה הָאָ֔רֶץ יָבְשׁ֖וּ נְאֹ֣ות מִדְבָּ֑ר וַתְּהִ֤י מְרֽוּצָתָם֙ רָעָ֔ה וּגְבוּרָתָ֖ם לֹא־כֵֽן׃
For adulterers the land is filled. For because of a curse the land mourns, the pastures of the wilderness have dried up. And their course is evil, and their might is not right.
Morphology
- כִּ֤י (ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “For”; Notes: Introduces the reason or explanation.
- מְנָאֲפִים (menaʾafim) – Root: נאף; Form: Piel participle masculine plural; Translation: “adulterers”; Notes: Implies habitual moral transgression; spiritual and/or literal adultery.
- מָלְאָה (malʾah) – Root: מלא; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “is filled”; Notes: The subject is the feminine noun “the land.”
- הָאָרֶץ (ha-aretz) – Root: ארץ; Form: Definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “the land”; Notes: Refers to the land of Yisraʾel.
- כִּֽי־מִפְּנֵי (ki-mipenei) – Root: כי + פנה; Form: Conjunction + preposition with construct noun; Translation: “For because of”; Notes: A second causal statement, linking sin and its consequences.
- אָלָה (ʾalah) – Root: אלה; Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “curse”; Notes: Likely refers to covenantal curses (cf. Deuteronomy); divine judgment.
- אָבְלָה (ʾavlah) – Root: אבל; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “mourns”; Notes: Personifies the land as grieving under judgment.
- הָאָרֶץ (ha-aretz) – Root: ארץ; Form: Definite noun feminine singular (repeated); Translation: “the land”; Notes: Emphasizes total devastation.
- יָבְשׁוּ (yavshu) – Root: יבשׁ; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “have dried up”; Notes: Physical consequence—famine, drought.
- נְאֹות (neʾot) – Root: נאה; Form: Noun feminine plural; Translation: “pastures”; Notes: Grazing places for flocks—symbols of provision.
- מִדְבָּר (midbar) – Root: דבר; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “wilderness”; Notes: Often the place of testing or judgment in the Hebrew Bible.
- וַתְּהִי (va-tehi) – Root: היה; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “and it became”; Notes: Narrative consequence introducing the next clause.
- מְרוּצָתָם (merutsatam) – Root: רוץ; Form: Noun feminine singular with 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “their running” or “course”; Notes: Refers to their way of life, pursuit, or behavior.
- רָעָה (raʿah) – Root: רעע; Form: Adjective feminine singular; Translation: “evil”; Notes: Moral judgment on their conduct.
- וּגְבוּרָתָם (u-gevuratam) – Root: גבר; Form: Noun feminine singular with 3rd person masculine plural suffix + conjunction; Translation: “and their might”; Notes: Refers to strength, leadership, or influence.
- לֹא־כֵן (lo-khen) – Root: לא + כן; Form: Negation + adverb; Translation: “not right”; Notes: Divine declaration that their strength is illegitimate or unjust.