שָׂ֤ם גַּפְנִי֙ לְשַׁמָּ֔ה וּתְאֵנָתִ֖י לִקְצָפָ֑ה חָשֹׂ֤ף חֲשָׂפָהּ֙ וְהִשְׁלִ֔יךְ הִלְבִּ֖ינוּ שָׂרִיגֶֽיהָ׃
He has laid waste my vine and splintered my fig tree; He has stripped it bare and cast it away; its branches have turned white.
Morphology
- שָׂם (sam) – Root: שׂים; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “He has set,” “He has made”; Notes: Denotes an accomplished act; here meaning “He has turned” or “laid waste.”
- גַּפְנִי (gafni) – Root: גפן; Form: Noun feminine singular + suffix 1st person common singular; Translation: “my vine”; Notes: Symbolic of Yisraʾel’s fruitfulness; the possessive “my” expresses personal or divine ownership.
- לְשַׁמָּה (le-shammah) – Root: שׁמם; Form: Preposition לְ + noun feminine singular; Translation: “to desolation”; Notes: Indicates result or purpose; denotes ruin or devastation.
- וּתְאֵנָתִי (u-te’enati) – Root: תאנ; Form: Conjunction וְ + noun feminine singular + suffix 1st person common singular; Translation: “and my fig tree”; Notes: Parallels “my vine”; both symbolize prosperity and peace now destroyed.
- לִקְצָפָה (li-qtsafah) – Root: קצף; Form: Preposition לְ + noun feminine singular; Translation: “to splintering,” “to ruin”; Notes: Suggests violent breaking or destruction, reinforcing the imagery of divine judgment.
- חָשֹׂף (ḥasof) – Root: חָשַׂף; Form: Qal infinitive absolute; Translation: “stripping”; Notes: Infinitive absolute used for emphasis before the finite verb that follows—intensifies the action “He stripped bare.”
- חֲשָׂפָהּ (ḥasafah) – Root: חָשַׂף; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular + suffix 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “He stripped it bare”; Notes: Describes total removal of leaves or bark, leaving the tree exposed.
- וְהִשְׁלִיךְ (ve-hishlikh) – Root: שלך; Form: Conjunction וְ + Hiphil perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and He cast away”; Notes: The Hiphil stem expresses causative force—He caused it to be thrown down or discarded.
- הִלְבִּינוּ (hilbinu) – Root: לבן; Form: Hiphil perfect 3rd person common plural; Translation: “they became white”; Notes: Refers to the withering of the branches, likely after the bark was stripped off, leaving them pale.
- שָׂרִיגֶיהָ (sarigeha) – Root: שרג; Form: Noun masculine plural + suffix 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “its branches”; Notes: Refers to vine tendrils or shoots; their whitening signifies death or desiccation.