הַנְּבִיאִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר הָי֧וּ לְפָנַ֛י וּלְפָנֶ֖יךָ מִן־הָֽעֹולָ֑ם וַיִּנָּ֨בְא֜וּ אֶל־אֲרָצֹ֤ות רַבֹּות֙ וְעַל־מַמְלָכֹ֣ות גְּדֹלֹ֔ות לְמִלְחָמָ֖ה וּלְרָעָ֥ה וּלְדָֽבֶר׃
The prophets who were before me and before you from ancient times prophesied concerning many lands and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence.
Morphology
- הַנְּבִיאִים (ha-neviʾim) – Root: נבא; Form: Noun masculine plural with article; Translation: “the prophets”; Notes: Refers to recognized prophetic figures.
- אֲשֶׁר (ʾăsher) – Root: אשר; Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces a relative clause about the prophets.
- הָיוּ (hayu) – Root: היה; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “were”; Notes: Indicates existence in the past.
- לְפָנַי (le-fanay) – Root: פנה; Form: Preposition + noun masculine plural construct + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “before me”; Notes: Refers to temporal precedence.
- וּלְפָנֶיךָ (u-lefanekha) – Root: פנה; Form: Conjunction + preposition + noun masculine plural construct + 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “and before you”; Notes: Extends the reference to the addressee’s predecessors.
- מִן־הָעֹולָם (min-ha-ʿolam) – Root: עולם; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular with article; Translation: “from ancient times”; Notes: Indicates long-standing historical continuity.
- וַיִּנָּבְאוּ (va-yinnavʾu) – Root: נבא; Form: Nifal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “and they prophesied”; Notes: Nifal stem here is passive-reflexive in form but idiomatically active for prophetic speech.
- אֶל־אֲרָצֹות (ʾel-aratzot) – Root: ארץ; Form: Preposition + noun feminine plural; Translation: “concerning lands”; Notes: Objects of prophecy.
- רַבֹּות (rabbot) – Root: רבב; Form: Adjective feminine plural; Translation: “many”; Notes: Describes the large number of lands.
- וְעַל־מַמְלָכֹות (ve-ʿal-mamlekhot) – Root: מלך; Form: Conjunction + preposition + noun feminine plural; Translation: “and against kingdoms”; Notes: Targets of prophetic pronouncement.
- גְּדֹלֹות (gedolot) – Root: גדל; Form: Adjective feminine plural; Translation: “great”; Notes: Highlights the power or significance of the kingdoms.
- לְמִלְחָמָה (le-milḥamah) – Root: לחם; Form: Preposition + noun feminine singular; Translation: “of war”; Notes: Content or subject of the prophecy.
- וּלְרָעָה (u-le-raʿah) – Root: רעע; Form: Conjunction + preposition + noun feminine singular; Translation: “and of evil”; Notes: Moral or calamity-related predictions.
- וּלְדָבֶר (u-le-daver) – Root: דבר; Form: Conjunction + preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and of pestilence”; Notes: Refers to plague or deadly disease as an element of prophetic warning.