כֹּֽה־אָמַ֞ר אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֗ה בְּיֹ֨ום רִדְתֹּ֤ו שְׁאֹ֨ולָה֙ הֶאֱבַ֜לְתִּי כִּסֵּ֤תִי עָלָיו֙ אֶת־תְּהֹ֔ום וָֽאֶמְנַע֙ נַהֲרֹותֶ֔יהָ וַיִּכָּלְא֖וּ מַ֣יִם רַבִּ֑ים וָאַקְדִּ֤ר עָלָיו֙ לְבָנֹ֔ון וְכָל־עֲצֵ֥י הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה עָלָ֥יו עֻלְפֶּֽה׃
Thus says the Lord YHWH: ‘On the day when he went down to Sheol, I caused mourning; I covered him with the deep, and I restrained its rivers, and the great waters were held back; and I made Levanon mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted over him.
Morphology
- כֹּה־אָמַר (koh-amar) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Adverb כֹּה (“thus”) + Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “Thus said”; Notes: Prophetic formula introducing a divine oracle, emphasizing authority of YHWH’s speech.
- אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה (Adonai YHWH) – Root: —; Form: Divine title; Translation: “Lord YHWH”; Notes: Combination underscores majesty and sovereign power of God over nations and death itself.
- בְּיֹום (be-yom) – Root: יום (yom); Form: Preposition בְ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “on the day”; Notes: Temporal phrase introducing the time of the event—Assyria’s descent to Sheol.
- רִדְתֹּו (ridto) – Root: ירד (yarad); Form: Qal infinitive construct + suffix 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “his going down”; Notes: Figurative of death and descent to Sheol—the underworld.
- שְׁאֹולָה (sheʾolah) – Root: שׁאל (shaʾal); Form: Noun feminine singular + directional ending (he-locative); Translation: “to Sheol”; Notes: The realm of the dead or underworld; parallels Akkadian *šualu*, a shadowy abode of departed spirits.
- הֶאֱבַלְתִּי (heʾevalti) – Root: אבל (ʾaval); Form: Hiphil perfect 1st person common singular; Translation: “I caused mourning”; Notes: Indicates divine agency—YHWH Himself made creation mourn at the fall of the mighty.
- כִּסֵּתִי (kisseti) – Root: כסה (kasah); Form: Piel perfect 1st person common singular; Translation: “I covered”; Notes: Intensified action; conveys total engulfing or overshadowing by the deep (תְּהוֹם).
- עָלָיו (ʿalav) – Root: —; Form: Preposition עַל + suffix 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “over him”; Notes: Marks direction of divine response—judgment falling upon the fallen one.
- אֶת־תְּהֹום (et-tehom) – Root: תהום (tehom); Form: Direct object marker + noun feminine singular; Translation: “the deep”; Notes: Cosmic waters of chaos symbolizing overwhelming forces of destruction.
- וָאֶמְנַע (vaʾemnaʿ) – Root: מנע (manaʿ); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 1st person common singular; Translation: “and I restrained”; Notes: Suggests God’s control over natural elements to mark mourning and desolation.
- נַהֲרֹותֶיהָ (naharoteha) – Root: נהר (nahar); Form: Noun masculine plural + suffix 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “its rivers”; Notes: Refers to sources of fertility and life—now withheld in symbolic mourning.
- וַיִּכָּלְאוּ (vayyikkaleʾu) – Root: כלא (kalaʾ); Form: Niphal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “and they were held back”; Notes: Describes the deep waters being shut up or constrained; passive form underscores divine causation.
- מַיִם רַבִּים (mayim rabbim) – Root: מים (mayim) / רבב (ravav); Form: Noun masculine plural + adjective masculine plural; Translation: “many waters”; Notes: Symbol of abundance, power, and chaos—all silenced at the judgment.
- וָאַקְדִּר (vaʾakdir) – Root: קדר (kadar); Form: Hiphil wayyiqtol 1st person common singular; Translation: “and I made dark”; Notes: “To darken” or “make mournful”—depicts cosmic gloom over the fall of the once-mighty.
- עָלָיו לְבָנֹון (ʿalav levanon) – Root: לבנון (levanon); Form: Preposition phrase + proper noun; Translation: “Lebanon over him”; Notes: Lebanon, famed for its cedars, symbolizes mourning forest or nature itself lamenting Assyria’s fall.
- וְכָל־עֲצֵי הַשָּׂדֶה (ve-khol-ʿatsei ha-sadeh) – Root: עץ (ʿets) / שׂדה (sadeh); Form: Conjunction + construct plural + definite noun; Translation: “and all the trees of the field”; Notes: Refers to other nations or kingdoms affected by Assyria’s demise.
- עָלָיו עֻלְפֶּה (ʿalav ʿulfeh) – Root: עלף (ʿalaf); Form: Niphal perfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “fainted over him”; Notes: The verb connotes fainting, being overwhelmed, or stricken—portraying universal collapse at his downfall.