וְאִ֣ם לֹֽא־תֵצֵ֗א אֶל־שָׂרֵי֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ בָּבֶ֔ל וְנִתְּנָ֞ה הָעִ֤יר הַזֹּאת֙ בְּיַ֣ד הַכַּשְׂדִּ֔ים וּשְׂרָפ֖וּהָ בָּאֵ֑שׁ וְאַתָּ֖ה לֹֽא־תִמָּלֵ֥ט מִיָּדָֽם׃ ס
But if you will not go out to the officials of the king of Bavel, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Kasdim, and they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape from their hand.’”
Morphology
- וְאִם (ve-ʾim) – Form: Conjunction + conditional particle; Translation: “But if”; Notes: Introduces the negative condition.
- לֹא (lo) – Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates the following action.
- תֵצֵא (tetze) – Root: יצא; Form: Qal imperfect 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “you go out”; Notes: Refers to surrendering to the Babylonian officials.
- אֶל־שָׂרֵי (ʾel-sarei) – Root: שר; Form: Preposition + construct masculine plural; Translation: “to the officials of”; Notes: Indicates the group to whom the king should go.
- מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל (melekh-Bavel) – Root: מלך, בבל; Form: Construct chain; Translation: “the king of Bavel”; Notes: Refers to the Babylonian monarch.
- וְנִתְּנָה (ve-nittenah) – Root: נתן; Form: Nifal perfect 3rd person feminine singular with vav-consecutive; Translation: “then shall be given”; Notes: Passive voice, referring to the city’s fate.
- הָעִיר (ha-ʿir) – Root: עיר; Form: Definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “the city”; Notes: Refers to Jerusalem.
- הַזֹּאת (ha-zot) – Root: זה; Form: Demonstrative feminine singular; Translation: “this”; Notes: Specifies Jerusalem.
- בְּיַד (be-yad) – Root: יד; Form: Preposition + noun feminine singular; Translation: “into the hand of”; Notes: Idiom meaning “into the power of.”
- הַכַּשְׂדִּים (ha-Kasdim) – Root: כשׂד; Form: Definite noun masculine plural; Translation: “the Kasdim”; Notes: Refers to the Chaldeans/Babylonians.
- וּשְׂרָפוּהָ (u-serafuha) – Root: שׂרף; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural + 3rd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “and they shall burn it”; Notes: Refers to the burning of the city.
- בָּאֵשׁ (ba-ʾesh) – Root: אשׁ; Form: Preposition + definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “with fire”; Notes: Describes the manner of destruction.
- וְאַתָּה (ve-ʾattah) – Form: Conjunction + independent pronoun masculine singular; Translation: “and you”; Notes: Emphasizes Tsidqiyahu as subject of the next clause.
- לֹא (lo) – Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates the verb that follows.
- תִמָּלֵט (timmalet) – Root: מלט; Form: Nifal imperfect 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “you shall escape”; Notes: Passive/reflexive, survival denied.
- מִיָּדָם (mi-yadam) – Root: יד; Form: Preposition מִן + noun feminine singular + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “from their hand”; Notes: Idiom for power or control of the Kasdim.