וְנִשְׁמְד֞וּ בָּמֹ֣ות אָ֗וֶן חַטַּאת֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל קֹ֣וץ וְדַרְדַּ֔ר יַעֲלֶ֖ה עַל־מִזְבְּחֹותָ֑ם וְאָמְר֤וּ לֶֽהָרִים֙ כַּסּ֔וּנוּ וְלַגְּבָעֹ֖ות נִפְל֥וּ עָלֵֽינוּ׃ ס
The high places of Awen, the sin of Yisraʾel, shall be destroyed; thorn and thistle shall grow upon their altars, and they shall say to the mountains, “Cover us,” and to the hills, “Fall on us.”
Morphology
- וְנִשְׁמְדוּ (ve-nishmedu) – Root: שׁמד (shamad); Form: Conjunction וְ + Niphal perfect 3rd person plural; Translation: “and they shall be destroyed”; Notes: The passive voice denotes total annihilation decreed by YHWH against idolatrous sites.
- בָּמֹות (bamot) – Root: במה (bamah); Form: Noun feminine plural; Translation: “high places”; Notes: Refers to hilltop sanctuaries used for idolatrous worship—objects of divine judgment.
- אָוֶן (ʾaven) – Root: און (ʾaven); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “Awen” or “iniquity”; Notes: A pun on “Beth-Awen” (“House of Iniquity”), denoting Bethel as corrupted by idolatry.
- חַטַּאת (ḥattaʾt) – Root: חטא (ḥaṭaʾ); Form: Noun feminine singular construct; Translation: “the sin of”; Notes: Refers collectively to Yisraʾel’s idolatrous practices and covenantal rebellion.
- יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisraʾel) – Root: ישראל (Yisraʾel); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yisraʾel”; Notes: The northern kingdom, personified as the one who sinned through idolatry.
- קֹוץ (qots) – Root: קוץ (qots); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “thorn”; Notes: Symbol of curse and desolation—echoing Edenic imagery (Genesis 3:18).
- וְדַרְדַּר (ve-dardar) – Root: דרדר (dardar); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and thistle”; Notes: Represents sterility and divine judgment upon the land and cultic centers.
- יַעֲלֶה (yaʿaleh) – Root: עלה (ʿalah); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “shall grow” or “shall come up”; Notes: Depicts overgrowth symbolizing neglect and ruin of once-revered shrines.
- עַל־מִזְבְּחֹותָם (ʿal-mizbeḥotam) – Root: מזבח (mizbeach); Form: Preposition עַל + noun masculine plural + suffix 3mp; Translation: “upon their altars”; Notes: Indicates the sites of sacrifice now overtaken by thorns—symbols of spiritual decay.
- וְאָמְרוּ (ve-amru) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Conjunction וְ + Qal perfect 3rd person plural; Translation: “and they shall say”; Notes: The speech expresses despair and dread of divine wrath.
- לֶהָרִים (le-harim) – Root: הר (har); Form: Preposition לְ + noun masculine plural; Translation: “to the mountains”; Notes: Echoes language of terror—seeking escape in nature itself.
- כַּסּוּנוּ (kassunu) – Root: כסא (kasa); Form: Piel imperative 2nd person masculine plural + suffix 1cp; Translation: “cover us!”; Notes: Plea for concealment—utter despair before judgment.
- וְלַגְּבָעֹות (ve-la-gevʿot) – Root: גבעה (givʿah); Form: Conjunction וְ + preposition לְ + noun feminine plural; Translation: “and to the hills”; Notes: Parallel to “mountains,” intensifying the scene of hopelessness.
- נִפְלוּ (niflu) – Root: נפל (nafal); Form: Qal imperative 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “fall!”; Notes: Expression of extreme fear—desiring death or burial under the collapsing hills rather than face YHWH’s wrath.
- עָלֵינוּ (ʿaleinu) – Root: על (ʿal); Form: Preposition עַל + suffix 1cp; Translation: “upon us”; Notes: Conveys personal involvement—the people plead for the mountains’ destruction to hide them from judgment.