כִּֽי־הָי֨וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל וּבְנֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֗ה אַ֣ךְ עֹשִׂ֥ים הָרַ֛ע בְּעֵינַ֖י מִנְּעֻרֹֽתֵיהֶ֑ם כִּ֣י בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל אַ֣ךְ מַכְעִסִ֥ים אֹתִ֛י בְּמַעֲשֵׂ֥ה יְדֵיהֶ֖ם נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃
For the sons of Yisraʾel and the sons of Yehuda have only been doing what is evil in My eyes from their youth, for the sons of Yisraʾel have only been provoking Me to anger by the work of their hands,” declares YHWH.
Morphology
- כִּי (ki) – Root: כי (ki); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for”; Notes: Introduces a reason or explanation.
- הָיוּ (hayu) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “have been”; Notes: Indicates continuous past action.
- בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל (bene-Yisraʾel) – Root: בן (ben) / ישראל (Yisraʾel); Form: Noun masculine plural construct + proper noun; Translation: “sons of Yisraʾel”; Notes: Refers to the people of the northern kingdom or the nation as a whole.
- וּבְנֵי־יְהוּדָה (u-vene-Yehudah) – Root: בן (ben) / יהודה (Yehudah); Form: Conjunction + noun masculine plural construct + proper noun; Translation: “and sons of Yehudah”; Notes: Refers to the people of the southern kingdom.
- אַךְ (ʾakh) – Root: אך (ʾakh); Form: Adverb; Translation: “only”; Notes: Adds emphasis, indicating exclusivity of the action.
- עֹשִׂים (ʿosim) – Root: עשה (ʿasah); Form: Qal participle masculine plural; Translation: “doing”; Notes: Describes continuous habitual action.
- הָרַע (ha-raʿ) – Root: רעע (raʿaʿ); Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the evil”; Notes: Moral wickedness as defined by YHWH’s standards.
- בְּעֵינַי (be-ʿeinai) – Root: עין (ʿayin); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun dual construct + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “in My eyes”; Notes: From the divine perspective.
- מִנְּעֻרֹתֵיהֶם (min-neʿurotehem) – Root: נער (naʿar); Form: Preposition מִן + noun feminine plural construct + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “from their youth”; Notes: Indicates the time frame from early beginnings.
- כִּי (ki) – Root: כי (ki); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for”; Notes: Restates the reason in a parallel structure.
- בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל (bene-Yisraʾel) – Root: בן (ben) / ישראל (Yisraʾel); Form: Noun masculine plural construct + proper noun; Translation: “sons of Yisraʾel”; Notes: Repeated for emphasis.
- אַךְ (ʾakh) – Root: אך (ʾakh); Form: Adverb; Translation: “only”; Notes: Again stresses the exclusiveness of the action.
- מַכְעִסִים (makhʿisim) – Root: כעס (kaʿas); Form: Hiphil participle masculine plural; Translation: “provoking to anger”; Notes: Causative — making YHWH angry through actions.
- אֹתִי (ʾoti) – Root: את (ʾet); Form: Object pronoun 1st person singular; Translation: “Me”; Notes: Direct object of “provoking.”
- בְּמַעֲשֵׂה (be-maʿaseh) – Root: עשה (ʿasah); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “by the work of”; Notes: Refers to their deeds or actions.
- יְדֵיהֶם (yedehem) – Root: יד (yad); Form: Noun dual construct + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “their hands”; Notes: Symbolic of human activity and production.
- נְאֻם (neʾum) – Root: נאם (naʾam); Form: Noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “utterance [of]”; Notes: Technical prophetic term introducing divine authority.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) – Root: הוה (havah); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The covenant name of the God of Yisraʾel.