הֶהָמֵ֣ת הֱ֠מִתֻהוּ חִזְקִיָּ֨הוּ מֶֽלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֜ה וְכָל־יְהוּדָ֗ה הֲלֹא֮ יָרֵ֣א אֶת־יְהוָה֒ וַיְחַל֙ אֶת־פְּנֵ֣י יְהוָ֔ה וַיִּנָּ֣חֶם יְהוָ֔ה אֶל־הָרָעָ֖ה אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֣ר עֲלֵיהֶ֑ם וַאֲנַ֗חְנוּ עֹשִׂ֛ים רָעָ֥ה גְדֹולָ֖ה עַל־נַפְשֹׁותֵֽינוּ׃
Did Ḥizqiyahu king of Yehuda and all Yehuda put him to death? Did he not fear YHWH and seek the face of YHWH, and YHWH relented concerning the evil that He had spoken against them? But we are doing great evil against our own souls.”
Morphology
- הֶהָמֵ֣ת (he-hamet) – Root: מות (mut); Form: Hifil infinitive absolute (with interrogative הֲ); Translation: “Did indeed put to death”; Notes: Emphatic question using infinitive absolute to stress the verb.
- הֱ֠מִתֻהוּ (hemituhu) – Root: מות (mut); Form: Hifil perfect 3rd person masculine plural + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “did they put him to death?”; Notes: Refers to the people’s response to the prophet.
- חִזְקִיָּ֨הוּ (Ḥizqiyahu) – Root: חזק (ḥ-z-q); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Ḥizqiyahu”; Notes: King of Yehudah during the time of the prophet’s speech.
- מֶֽלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֜ה (melekh-Yehudah) – Roots: מלך (melekh), יהודה (Yehudah); Form: Construct chain; Translation: “king of Yehudah”; Notes: Identifies Ḥizqiyahu’s royal position.
- וְכָל־יְהוּדָ֗ה (ve-khol-Yehudah) – Roots: כל (kol), יהודה (Yehudah); Form: Conjunction + noun construct; Translation: “and all Yehudah”; Notes: Includes the collective people alongside the king.
- הֲלֹא֮ (halo) – Root: לא (lo); Form: Interrogative particle + negative; Translation: “Did he not…?”; Notes: Introduces a rhetorical question.
- יָרֵ֣א (yare) – Root: ירא (yareʾ); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “he feared”; Notes: Refers to reverential awe of YHWH.
- אֶת־יְהוָה (et-YHWH) – Root: –; Form: Direct object marker + proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: YHWH is the object of fear and reverence.
- וַיְחַל (va-yeḥal) – Root: חלה (ḥ-l-h); Form: Piel wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and he entreated”; Notes: Describes earnest prayer or seeking.
- אֶת־פְּנֵ֣י יְהוָ֔ה (et-penei YHWH) – Root: פנים (panim); Form: Construct form with direct object marker; Translation: “the face of YHWH”; Notes: Idiom for seeking favor or mercy in prayer.
- וַיִּנָּ֣חֶם (va-yinnaḥem) – Root: נחם (n-ḥ-m); Form: Nifal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and He relented”; Notes: Expresses divine change of intention in response to repentance.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) – Root: הוה (h-v-h); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: Subject of the verb “relented.”
- אֶל־הָרָעָה (el-ha-raʿah) – Root: רעע (raʿ); Form: Preposition + definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “concerning the evil”; Notes: Refers to the judgment or calamity that had been decreed.
- אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֣ר (asher-dibber) – Root: דבר (d-b-r); Form: Relative pronoun + Piel perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “that He had spoken”; Notes: Introduces a relative clause modifying “evil.”
- עֲלֵיהֶ֑ם (ʿaleihem) – Root: על (ʿal); Form: Preposition + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “against them”; Notes: Refers to the people of Yehudah.
- וַאֲנַ֗חְנוּ (va-anaḥnu) – Root: –; Form: Conjunction + pronoun 1st person plural; Translation: “but we”; Notes: Contrastive: juxtaposing past repentance with present action.
- עֹשִׂ֛ים (ʿosim) – Root: עשה (ʿasah); Form: Qal participle masculine plural; Translation: “are doing”; Notes: Ongoing action in the present.
- רָעָ֥ה (raʿah) – Root: רעע (raʿ); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “evil”; Notes: Describes moral corruption or disobedience.
- גְדֹולָ֖ה (gedolah) – Root: גדל (g-d-l); Form: Adjective feminine singular; Translation: “great”; Notes: Intensifies the magnitude of the evil.
- עַל־נַפְשֹׁותֵֽינוּ (ʿal-nafshotenu) – Root: נפשׁ (nefesh); Form: Preposition + plural noun with 1st person plural suffix; Translation: “against our souls”; Notes: Idiomatic for self-inflicted harm or endangerment.