וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֵלַ֗י מָֽה־אַתָּ֤ה רֹאֶה֙ יִרְמְיָ֔הוּ וָאֹמַ֖ר תְּאֵנִ֑ים הַתְּאֵנִ֤ים הַטֹּבֹות֙ טֹבֹ֣ות מְאֹ֔ד וְהָֽרָעֹות֙ רָעֹ֣ות מְאֹ֔ד אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־תֵאָכַ֖לְנָה מֵרֹֽעַ׃ פ
And YHWH said to me, “What do you see, Yirmeyahu?” And I said, “Figs, the good figs are very good, and the bad are very bad, which cannot be eaten from badness.”
Morphology
- וַיֹּאמֶר (va-yomer) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And he said”; Notes: Standard narrative past introducing YHWH’s speech.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) – Root: הוה; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The speaker addressing Yirmeyahu.
- אֵלַי (elai) – Root: אל (ʾel); Form: Preposition + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Marks the recipient of the speech.
- מָה (mah) – Root: מה; Form: Interrogative pronoun; Translation: “what”; Notes: Introduces YHWH’s question.
- אַתָּה (attah) – Root: אתה; Form: Independent pronoun masculine singular; Translation: “you”; Notes: Emphatic subject of the question.
- רֹאֶה (roʾeh) – Root: ראה (raʾah); Form: Qal participle masculine singular; Translation: “seeing”; Notes: Describes present perception, functioning as present tense.
- יִרְמְיָהוּ (Yirmeyahu) – Root: ירמיהו; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yirmeyahu”; Notes: The prophet Jeremiah, addressed directly.
- וָאֹמַר (va-omar) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 1st person singular; Translation: “And I said”; Notes: Narration of Yirmeyahu’s response.
- תְּאֵנִים (teʾenim) – Root: תאן (teʾen); Form: Noun feminine plural absolute; Translation: “figs”; Notes: Brief one-word answer identifying the vision.
- הַתְּאֵנִים (ha-teʾenim) – Root: תאן (teʾen); Form: Definite noun feminine plural; Translation: “the figs”; Notes: Starts the elaboration on the quality of the figs.
- הַטֹּבֹות (ha-tovot) – Root: טוב (tov); Form: Definite adjective feminine plural; Translation: “the good [ones]”; Notes: Refers back to the good portion of the figs.
- טֹבֹות (tovot) – Root: טוב (tov); Form: Adjective feminine plural; Translation: “good”; Notes: Repetition for emphasis, poetic construction.
- מְאֹד (meʾod) – Root: מאד (meʾod); Form: Adverb; Translation: “very”; Notes: Intensifies the positive evaluation.
- וְהָרָעֹות (ve-ha-raʿot) – Root: רעע (raʿaʿ); Form: Conjunction + definite adjective feminine plural; Translation: “and the bad [ones]”; Notes: Contrasts the good figs with the bad.
- רָעֹות (raʿot) – Root: רעע (raʿaʿ); Form: Adjective feminine plural; Translation: “bad”; Notes: Parallel construction with “good… good.”
- מְאֹד (meʾod) – Root: מאד (meʾod); Form: Adverb; Translation: “very”; Notes: Intensifies the negative description.
- אֲשֶׁר (asher) – Root: אשר; Form: Relative particle; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces a relative clause describing the bad figs.
- לֹא־תֵאָכַלְנָה (lo-teʾakhelnah) – Root: אכל (ʾakhal); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person feminine plural with negation; Translation: “they cannot be eaten”; Notes: Repeated verb clause showing total inedibility.
- מֵרֹעַ (me-roaʿ) – Root: רעע (raʿaʿ); Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “from badness”; Notes: Explains the reason the figs are unfit for consumption.