כְּרֻבָּ֖ם כֵּ֣ן חָֽטְאוּ־לִ֑י כְּבֹודָ֖ם בְּקָלֹ֥ון אָמִֽיר׃
As they were multiplied, so they sinned against Me; I will turn their glory into shame.
Morphology
- כְּרֻבָּם (kerubbam) – Root: רבה (r-b-h); Form: Preposition כְּ + Qal passive participle masculine plural + 3mp suffix; Translation: “as they were multiplied”; Notes: The preposition marks comparison; population growth, prosperity, or increase in power leads to greater sinfulness — a reversal of covenant blessing.
- כֵּן (ken) – Root: —; Form: Adverb; Translation: “so,” “thus”; Notes: Introduces correspondence — their increase in number matches their increase in corruption.
- חָטְאוּ־לִי (ḥaṭʾu-li) – Root: חטא (ḥ-ṭ-ʾ); Form: Qal perfect 3mp + preposition לְ + 1cs suffix; Translation: “they sinned against Me”; Notes: A direct covenantal offense against YHWH; the use of לִי intensifies the personal dimension of sin — rebellion directed toward the divine covenant partner.
- כְּבֹודָם (kevōdam) – Root: כבד (k-b-d); Form: Noun masculine singular construct + 3mp suffix; Translation: “their glory”; Notes: Can refer to honor, wealth, or divine privilege — what should have been their dignity before YHWH (e.g., priesthood, prosperity) becomes the object of humiliation.
- בְּקָלֹון (bekalon) – Root: קלון (k-l-n); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “into shame”; Notes: The preposition indicates transformation or substitution — honor turned into disgrace as divine punishment.
- אָמִיר (ʾamir) – Root: מור (ʾ-m-r); Form: Hiphil imperfect 1cs; Translation: “I will turn” or “I will exchange”; Notes: The Hiphil stem conveys causative action — YHWH Himself will cause their glorious state to be reversed into dishonor. This carries strong poetic irony and moral symmetry typical of Hosea’s style.