Joel 1:6

כִּֽי־גֹוי֙ עָלָ֣ה עַל־אַרְצִ֔י עָצ֖וּם וְאֵ֣ין מִסְפָּ֑ר שִׁנָּיו֙ שִׁנֵּ֣י אַרְיֵ֔ה וּֽמְתַלְּעֹ֥ות לָבִ֖יא לֹֽו׃

For a nation has come up against my land, strong and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and it has the fangs of a lioness.

Morphology

1. כִּי (ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for,” “because”; Notes: Introduces the reason for the preceding lament and call to mourning.
2. גֹוי (goy) – Root: גוי; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “nation”; Notes: Can refer to a people or a hostile invader; here likely describing a locust army metaphorically as a nation.
3. עָלָה (ʿalah) – Root: עלה; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “has come up,” “has ascended”; Notes: Denotes movement upward or invasion into the land; used figuratively for an advancing army.
4. עַל (ʿal) – Root: על; Form: Preposition; Translation: “upon,” “against”; Notes: Indicates direction of action toward the object—here, against the prophet’s land.
5. אַרְצִי (artsi) – Root: ארץ; Form: Noun feminine singular + suffix 1st person common singular; Translation: “my land”; Notes: Expresses personal or national possession; the land of Yisraʾel.
6. עָצוּם (ʿatsum) – Root: עצם; Form: Adjective masculine singular; Translation: “strong,” “mighty”; Notes: Describes the invader’s overwhelming strength or multitude.
7. וְאֵין (ve-ʾein) – Root: אין; Form: Conjunction וְ + negative particle of nonexistence; Translation: “and there is no”; Notes: Used to emphasize absence or impossibility.
8. מִסְפָּר (mispar) – Root: ספר; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “number”; Notes: Indicates innumerability; hyperbolic expression of vastness.
9. שִׁנָּיו (shinnav) – Root: שׁן; Form: Noun feminine plural + suffix 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “its teeth”; Notes: Figurative for destructive power.
10. שִׁנֵּי (shinnei) – Root: שׁן; Form: Noun feminine plural construct; Translation: “the teeth of”; Notes: Construct chain linking to “lion.”
11. אַרְיֵה (aryeh) – Root: אריה; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “lion”; Notes: Symbol of strength and ferocity; metaphor for the devouring enemy or locusts.
12. וּמְתַלְּעֹות (u-metalleʿot) – Root: תלע; Form: Conjunction וְ + noun feminine plural; Translation: “and the fangs”; Notes: Denotes the tearing teeth of a lion; emphasizes destructive capacity.
13. לָבִיא (lavi) – Root: לביא; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “lioness”; Notes: Female counterpart of “lion”; often used to intensify imagery of danger and ferocity.
14. לֹו (lo) – Root: לו; Form: Preposition לְ + suffix 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “to him,” “it has”; Notes: Expresses possession—“it has the fangs of a lioness.”