לָכֵן֩ יִֽהְיֶ֨ה דַרְכָּ֜ם לָהֶ֗ם כַּחֲלַקְלַקֹּות֙ בָּֽאֲפֵלָ֔ה יִדַּ֖חוּ וְנָ֣פְלוּ בָ֑הּ כִּֽי־אָבִ֨יא עֲלֵיהֶ֥ם רָעָ֛ה שְׁנַ֥ת פְּקֻדָּתָ֖ם נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃
“Therefore their way shall be to them like slippery places in the darkness; they shall be pushed and shall fall in it. For I will bring upon them evil, the year of their punishment,” declares YHWH.
Morphology
- לָכֵן (lakhen) – Root: כן; Form: Adverb; Translation: “Therefore”; Notes: Introduces a consequence based on prior judgment.
- יִֽהְיֶה (yiheyeh) – Root: היה; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “shall be”; Notes: Describes future state or result.
- דַרְכָּם (darkam) – Root: דרך; Form: Noun feminine singular with 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “their way”; Notes: Refers to their lifestyle or conduct.
- לָהֶם (lahem) – Root: הם; Form: Preposition + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “to them”; Notes: Emphasizes personal consequence.
- כַּחֲלַקְלַקֹּות (kaḥalaklaqot) – Root: חללק; Form: Preposition + plural noun feminine; Translation: “like slippery places”; Notes: A metaphor for instability and danger.
- בָּאֲפֵלָה (baʾafelah) – Root: אפל; Form: Preposition + noun feminine singular; Translation: “in the darkness”; Notes: Emphasizes danger and confusion.
- יִדַּחוּ (yiddachu) – Root: דחה; Form: Niphal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they shall be pushed”; Notes: Passive form, suggests divine or inevitable force.
- וְנָפְלוּ (ve-naflu) – Root: נפל; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural with vav-consecutive; Translation: “and they shall fall”; Notes: Follows from the previous verb—falling as a result of being pushed.
- בָּהּ (bah) – Root: היא; Form: Preposition + 3rd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “in it”; Notes: Refers back to “slippery places” or “darkness.”
- כִּי (ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “For”; Notes: Introduces the reason for judgment.
- אָבִיא (aviʾ) – Root: בוא; Form: Hiphil imperfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I will bring”; Notes: Divine action of judgment.
- עֲלֵיהֶם (ʿalehem) – Root: על; Form: Preposition + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “upon them”; Notes: Target of divine action.
- רָעָה (raʿah) – Root: רעע; Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “evil” or “disaster”; Notes: Refers to calamity as divine punishment.
- שְׁנַת (shenat) – Root: שׁנה; Form: Construct noun feminine singular; Translation: “the year of”; Notes: Timeframe of the judgment.
- פְּקֻדָּתָם (pequddatam) – Root: פקד; Form: Noun feminine singular + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “their punishment” or “visitation”; Notes: Refers to the appointed time of divine reckoning.
- נְאֻם־יְהוָה (neʾum-YHWH) – Root: נאם; Form: Construct noun + proper name; Translation: “declaration of YHWH”; Notes: Certifies the statement as a prophetic utterance from YHWH.