חִרְבוּ֙ כָּל־פָּרֶ֔יהָ יֵרְד֖וּ לַטָּ֑בַח הֹ֣וי עֲלֵיהֶ֔ם כִּֽי־בָ֥א יֹומָ֖ם עֵ֥ת פְּקֻדָּתָֽם׃ ס
Slaughter all her bulls, let them go down to the slaughter! Woe to them, for their day has come, the time of their punishment.
Morphology
- חִרְבוּ (ḥirvu) – Root: חרב; Form: Qal imperative 2nd masculine plural; Translation: “Slaughter!”; Notes: A command to kill, here figurative of Babylon’s leaders or warriors.
- כָּל־ (kol) – Root: כל; Form: Noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “all”; Notes: Emphasizes totality.
- פָּרֶיהָ (pareha) – Root: פר; Form: Noun masculine plural + 3rd feminine singular suffix; Translation: “her bulls”; Notes: Metaphor for strong leaders, warriors, or nobles of Babylon.
- יֵרְדוּ (yerdu) – Root: ירד; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd masculine plural (jussive nuance); Translation: “let them go down”; Notes: Expresses inevitability of death.
- לַטָּבַח (la-ṭavakh) – Root: טבח; Form: Preposition לְ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “to the slaughter”; Notes: Common sacrificial or war image.
- הֹוי (hoy) – Root: —; Form: Interjection; Translation: “Woe!”; Notes: An exclamation of lament or doom.
- עֲלֵיהֶם (ʿalehem) – Root: על; Form: Preposition + 3rd masculine plural suffix; Translation: “to them/for them”; Notes: Refers to Babylon’s warriors/leaders.
- כִּי (ki) – Root: —; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for/because”; Notes: Introduces the reason for the woe.
- בָּא (ba) – Root: בוא; Form: Qal perfect 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “has come”; Notes: Refers to the arrival of judgment.
- יֹומָם (yomam) – Root: יום; Form: Noun masculine singular absolute; Translation: “their day”; Notes: Figurative for the appointed time of judgment.
- עֵת (ʿet) – Root: עת; Form: Noun feminine singular absolute; Translation: “the time”; Notes: Synonymous parallel with “day.”
- פְּקֻדָּתָם (pequddatam) – Root: פקד; Form: Noun feminine singular construct + 3rd masculine plural suffix; Translation: “of their punishment/visitation”; Notes: Refers to God’s appointed time of reckoning.