מָ֤ה אֶֽעֱשֶׂה־לְּךָ֙ אֶפְרַ֔יִם מָ֥ה אֶעֱשֶׂה־לְּךָ֖ יְהוּדָ֑ה וְחַסְדְּכֶם֙ כַּֽעֲנַן־בֹּ֔קֶר וְכַטַּ֖ל מַשְׁכִּ֥ים הֹלֵֽךְ׃
“What shall I do to you, Efrayim? What shall I do to you, Yehuda? For your loyalty is like the morning cloud, and like the dew that early goes away.
Morphology
- מָה (mah) – Root: מה (mah); Form: Interrogative pronoun; Translation: “What”; Notes: Introduces a rhetorical question expressing divine frustration and sorrow.
- אֶעֱשֶׂה־ (ʾeʿeseh) – Root: עשה (ʿasah); Form: Qal imperfect 1st person common singular; Translation: “shall I do”; Notes: Expresses YHWH’s deliberation or internal questioning regarding His treatment of His people.
- לְּךָ (le-kha) – Root: אתה (ʾattah); Form: Preposition לְ + pronominal suffix 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Personal address, intensifying the directness of the divine question.
- אֶפְרַיִם (ʾEfrayim) – Root: אפרים (ʾEfrayim); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Ephrayim”; Notes: Represents the northern kingdom of Yisraʾel, known for its unfaithfulness.
- מָה (mah) – Root: מה (mah); Form: Interrogative pronoun; Translation: “What”; Notes: Repetition heightens the emotional tone—divine lament directed also at Yehudah.
- אֶעֱשֶׂה־ (ʾeʿeseh) – Root: עשה (ʿasah); Form: Qal imperfect 1st person common singular; Translation: “shall I do”; Notes: Reiterates YHWH’s questioning, emphasizing the moral dilemma of dealing with both kingdoms.
- לְּךָ (le-kha) – Root: אתה (ʾattah); Form: Preposition לְ + pronominal suffix 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Again a direct and intimate form of address.
- יְהוּדָה (Yehudah) – Root: יהודה (Yehudah); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yehudah”; Notes: Refers to the southern kingdom, paralleling Ephrayim in unfaithfulness.
- וְחַסְדְּכֶם (ve-ḥasdekem) – Root: חסד (ḥesed); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun masculine singular + suffix 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “and your loyalty”; Notes: Refers to covenantal faithfulness or love, here criticized as fleeting.
- כַּעֲנַן (ka-ʿanan) – Root: ענן (ʿanan); Form: Preposition כְּ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “like a cloud”; Notes: Simile emphasizing transience—faithfulness as ephemeral as morning mist.
- בֹּקֶר (boqer) – Root: בקר (boqer); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “morning”; Notes: Indicates early daybreak, the time when mist disappears quickly—symbol of unstable devotion.
- וְכַטַּל (ve-kha-tal) – Root: טל (tal); Form: Conjunction וְ + preposition כְּ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and like the dew”; Notes: Another fleeting natural image depicting impermanence.
- מַשְׁכִּים (mashkim) – Root: שׁכם (shakam); Form: Hifil participle masculine singular; Translation: “that early”; Notes: From the verb “to rise early,” here qualifying how swiftly the dew disappears.
- הֹלֵךְ (holekh) – Root: הלך (halakh); Form: Qal participle masculine singular; Translation: “goes away”; Notes: Describes continual motion—just as the dew vanishes, so does Israel’s loyalty evaporate before YHWH.