כִּי֩ הִנֵּ֨ה בָעִ֜יר אֲשֶׁ֧ר נִֽקְרָא־שְׁמִ֣י עָלֶ֗יהָ אָֽנֹכִי֙ מֵחֵ֣ל לְהָרַ֔ע וְאַתֶּ֖ם הִנָּקֵ֣ה תִנָּק֑וּ לֹ֣א תִנָּק֔וּ כִּ֣י חֶ֗רֶב אֲנִ֤י קֹרֵא֙ עַל־כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵ֣י הָאָ֔רֶץ נְאֻ֖ם יְהוָ֥ה צְבָאֹֽות׃
For behold, upon the city which is called by My name I am beginning to bring evil, and shall you indeed be unpunished? You shall not be unpunished, for a sword I am calling against all the inhabitants of the land,” declares YHWH of Hosts.’
Morphology
- כִּי֩ (ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “For”; Notes: Introduces explanation or justification.
- הִנֵּ֨ה (hinneh) – Root: הנה; Form: Interjection; Translation: “Behold”; Notes: Draws attention to an important statement or event.
- בָעִ֜יר (ba-ʿir) – Root: עיר (ʿir); Form: Preposition בְּ + definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “upon the city”; Notes: Refers to Jerusalem in this context.
- אֲשֶׁ֧ר (ʾasher) – Root: Relative pronoun; Form: Particle; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces a relative clause modifying “city.”
- נִֽקְרָא־ (niqra) – Root: קרא (qara); Form: Nifal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “was called”; Notes: Passive form—something is called or named.
- שְׁמִ֣י (shemi) – Root: שם (shem); Form: Noun masculine singular with 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “My name”; Notes: Refers to divine possession and identity.
- עָלֶ֗יהָ (ʿaleha) – Root: על (ʿal); Form: Preposition with 3rd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “upon it”; Notes: Refers back to the city.
- אָֽנֹכִי֙ (anokhi) – Root: Pronoun; Form: 1st person singular; Translation: “I”; Notes: Emphatic pronoun used by the speaker (YHWH).
- מֵחֵ֣ל (meḥel) – Root: חלל (ḥalal); Form: Hifil infinitive construct; Translation: “to begin”; Notes: Introduced with preposition מִן, here functioning as “beginning.”
- לְהָרַ֔ע (le-haraʿ) – Root: רעע (raʿaʿ); Form: Hifil infinitive construct with preposition; Translation: “to bring evil”; Notes: Indicates intended harmful action.
- וְאַתֶּ֖ם (ve-atem) – Root: Pronoun; Form: 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “and you”; Notes: Contrast between city and other peoples.
- הִנָּקֵ֣ה (hinnaqeh) – Root: נקה (naqah); Form: Nifal infinitive absolute; Translation: “being unpunished”; Notes: Used emphatically with the following verb to express rhetorical force.
- תִנָּק֑וּ (tinnaqu) – Root: נקה (naqah); Form: Nifal imperfect 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “you shall be unpunished”; Notes: Negated below to express certainty of judgment.
- לֹ֣א (lo) – Root: לא; Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Denies the action in the following verb.
- תִנָּק֔וּ (tinnaqu) – Root: נקה (naqah); Form: Nifal imperfect 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “you shall be unpunished”; Notes: Repetition with negation for emphasis: “You shall not be unpunished.”
- כִּ֣י (ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for”; Notes: Introduces reason or cause.
- חֶ֗רֶב (ḥerev) – Root: חרב (ḥerev); Form: Noun feminine singular absolute; Translation: “a sword”; Notes: Symbol of divine judgment and war.
- אֲנִ֤י (ani) – Root: Pronoun; Form: 1st person singular; Translation: “I”; Notes: Personal subject of the verb that follows.
- קֹרֵא֙ (qore) – Root: קרא (qara); Form: Qal active participle masculine singular; Translation: “am calling”; Notes: Describes a present or ongoing action by YHWH.
- עַל־כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵ֣י (ʿal-kol-yoshvei) – Root: ישׁב (yashav); Form: Preposition + quantifier + participle masculine plural construct; Translation: “against all the inhabitants of”; Notes: Introduces the object of the call to judgment.
- הָאָ֔רֶץ (ha-aretz) – Root: ארץ (ʾaretz); Form: Definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “the land”; Notes: Can refer to the whole earth or specifically to the land of Yisraʾel.
- נְאֻ֖ם (neʾum) – Root: נאם (naʾam); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “utterance” or “declaration”; Notes: Prophetic marker introducing divine speech.
- יְהוָ֥ה (YHWH) – Root: Divine name; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The personal name of God.
- צְבָאֹֽות (tsevaʾot) – Root: צבא (tsava); Form: Plural in construct; Translation: “of armies”; Notes: Title denoting YHWH’s command over hosts of heaven and earth.