וְהָיָ֥ה כָעָ֖ם כַּכֹּהֵ֑ן וּפָקַדְתִּ֤י עָלָיו֙ דְּרָכָ֔יו וּמַעֲלָלָ֖יו אָשִׁ֥יב לֹֽו׃
And it shall be: like people, like priest; I will visit upon him his ways, and his deeds I will return to him.
Morphology
- וְהָיָ֥ה (ve-hayah) – Root: היה (h-y-h); Form: Conjunction וְ + Qal perfect 3ms (with future sense in prophetic idiom); Translation: “and it shall be”; Notes: Introduces a prophetic declaration — a fixed divine outcome. Often used formulaically to signal transition to judgment or consequence.
- כָעָם (kaʿam) – Root: עם (ʿ-m); Form: Preposition כְּ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “like the people”; Notes: Expresses comparison — the priests’ behavior mirrors that of the people, erasing the expected moral distinction between sacred and profane.
- כַּכֹּהֵן (ka-kohen) – Root: כהן (k-h-n); Form: Preposition כְּ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “like the priest”; Notes: Parallel structure (“like people, like priest”) — a sharp irony. Those tasked with spiritual leadership have become no better than those they serve.
- וּפָקַדְתִּי (u-faqadti) – Root: פקד (p-q-d); Form: Conjunction וְ + Qal perfect 1cs; Translation: “and I will visit” or “I will punish”; Notes: The verb פקד in prophetic context often denotes divine visitation for judgment. The 1cs ending marks YHWH’s direct involvement.
- עָלָיו (ʿalayv) – Root: על (ʿ-l); Form: Preposition עַל + third ms suffix; Translation: “upon him”; Notes: Refers collectively to both priest and people — judgment is applied equally to all.
- דְּרָכָיו (derakhav) – Root: דרך (d-r-k); Form: Noun masculine plural + 3ms suffix; Translation: “his ways”; Notes: Denotes habitual conduct or moral paths; implies deliberate moral choices, not accidents.
- וּמַעֲלָלָיו (u-maʿalalav) – Root: עלל (ʿ-l-l); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun masculine plural + 3ms suffix; Translation: “and his deeds”; Notes: Refers to actions, particularly those that reveal corruption or deceit; paired with “ways” to express both intention and behavior.
- אָשִׁיב (ʾashiv) – Root: שׁוב (š-w-b); Form: Hiphil imperfect 1cs; Translation: “I will return” or “I will repay”; Notes: Causative sense — YHWH will cause the consequence of each person’s deeds to come back upon him, emphasizing retributive justice.
- לֹו (lo) – Root: —; Form: Preposition לְ + third ms suffix; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Reinforces individual accountability. The moral principle here anticipates the later prophetic theme of personal recompense (“each according to his ways”).