וַהֲפִצֹותִ֥י אֶת־מִצְרַ֖יִם בַּגֹּויִ֑ם וְזֵרִיתִ֖ם בָּאֲרָצֹֽות׃
And I will scatter Mitsrayim among the nations and disperse them among the lands.
Morphology
- וַהֲפִצֹותִי (va-hafitsoti) – Root: פוץ (futs); Form: Hiphil wayyiqtol (consecutive imperfect) 1st person singular; Translation: “and I will scatter”; Notes: Hiphil expresses causative force—YHWH causes dispersion, a motif of divine judgment leading to exile and loss of unity.
- אֶת־מִצְרַיִם (ʾet-Mitsrayim) – Root: —; Form: Direct object marker + proper noun; Translation: “Mitsrayim (Egypt)”; Notes: The object of divine dispersion; here Egypt represents both the nation and its people under judgment.
- בַּגֹּויִם (ba-goyim) – Root: גוי (goy); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine plural definite; Translation: “among the nations”; Notes: Indicates geographic and social dispersion—Egypt will lose its centralized power and be scattered among foreign peoples.
- וְזֵרִיתִם (ve-zeritim) – Root: זרה (zarah); Form: Qal perfect 1st person singular + suffix 3rd person masculine plural with conjunction וְ; Translation: “and I will disperse them”; Notes: Reinforces the previous verb with a different nuance—“to winnow” or “to scatter like chaff,” emphasizing total dislocation.
- בָּאֲרָצֹות (ba-aratsot) – Root: ארץ (ʾerets); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun feminine plural definite; Translation: “in the lands”; Notes: Completes the image of wide dispersion; multiple foreign lands serve as Egypt’s place of exile and humiliation.