אֹ֛ו חֶ֥רֶב אָבִ֖יא עַל־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַהִ֑יא וְאָמַרְתִּ֗י חֶ֚רֶב תַּעֲבֹ֣ר בָּאָ֔רֶץ וְהִכְרַתִּ֥י מִמֶּ֖נָּה אָדָ֥ם וּבְהֵמָֽה׃
Or if a sword I bring upon that land, and I say, ‘Sword, pass through the land,’ and I cut off from it man and beast.
Morphology
- אֹו (ʾo) – Root: —; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “or”; Notes: Introduces another conditional scenario.
- חֶרֶב (ḥerev) – Root: חרב (ḥerev); Form: Noun feminine singular absolute; Translation: “sword”; Notes: Symbol of war and destruction.
- אָבִיא (aviʾ) – Root: בוא (boʾ); Form: Hiphil imperfect 1st person common singular; Translation: “I bring”; Notes: Causative nuance, YHWH as sender of judgment.
- עַל־הָאָרֶץ (ʿal-ha-ʾarets) – Root: ארץ (ʾerets); Form: Preposition + definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “upon the land”; Notes: Locates the judgment.
- הַהִיא (ha-hi) – Root: הוא (huʾ); Form: Demonstrative pronoun feminine singular; Translation: “that”; Notes: Specifies a particular land.
- וְאָמַרְתִּי (ve-amarti) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal perfect 1st person common singular with waw-consecutive; Translation: “and I say”; Notes: Direct divine command to the sword.
- חֶרֶב (ḥerev) – Root: חרב (ḥerev); Form: Noun feminine singular absolute; Translation: “sword”; Notes: Vocative use, addressing the sword.
- תַּעֲבֹר (taʿavor) – Root: עבר (ʿavar); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “pass through”; Notes: Personification of the sword as a destroyer.
- בָּאָרֶץ (ba-ʾarets) – Root: ארץ (ʾerets); Form: Preposition + definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “in the land”; Notes: Locative phrase of devastation.
- וְהִכְרַתִּי (ve-hikhratti) – Root: כרת (karat); Form: Hiphil perfect 1st person common singular with waw-consecutive; Translation: “and I will cut off”; Notes: Expresses annihilation.
- מִמֶּנָּה (mimmenah) – Root: מן (min); Form: Preposition + 3rd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “from it”; Notes: Refers back to the land.
- אָדָם (ʾadam) – Root: אדם (ʾadam); Form: Noun masculine singular absolute; Translation: “man”; Notes: Refers to human inhabitants.
- וּבְהֵמָה (u-vehemah) – Root: בהמה (behemah); Form: Conjunction + noun feminine singular absolute; Translation: “and beast”; Notes: Refers to livestock and animals, emphasizing total devastation.