Joel 1:10

שֻׁדַּ֣ד שָׂדֶ֔ה אָבְלָ֖ה אֲדָמָ֑ה כִּ֚י שֻׁדַּ֣ד דָּגָ֔ן הֹובִ֥ישׁ תִּירֹ֖ושׁ אֻמְלַ֥ל יִצְהָֽר׃

The field is devastated, the ground mourns, for the grain is destroyed; the new wine is dried up, the oil languishes.

Morphology

1. שֻׁדַּד (shuddad) – Root: שׁדד; Form: Pual perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “has been devastated”; Notes: Passive intensive form indicating complete destruction of the field; emphasizes the violent nature of the ruin.
2. שָׂדֶה (sadeh) – Root: שׂדה; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “field”; Notes: Refers to cultivated land—symbol of agricultural life and sustenance.
3. אָבְלָה (avlah) – Root: אבל; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “mourns”; Notes: Personification of the ground expressing grief at the loss of productivity.
4. אֲדָמָה (adamah) – Root: אדם; Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “ground,” “soil”; Notes: Parallels “field” to highlight the entire land’s desolation.
5. כִּי (ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for,” “because”; Notes: Introduces the reason for the lamentation of the land.
6. שֻׁדַּד (shuddad) – Root: שׁדד; Form: Pual perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “is destroyed”; Notes: Repetition reinforces the theme of total devastation—here applied to the grain.
7. דָּגָן (dagan) – Root: דגן; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “grain”; Notes: Represents the staple crop of the land—wheat or barley.
8. הֹובִישׁ (hovish) – Root: יבשׁ; Form: Hiphil perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “has dried up”; Notes: Causative form meaning “has caused to dry” or “has withered,” describing the loss of vitality in the vines.
9. תִּירֹושׁ (tirosh) – Root: תירשׁ; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “new wine”; Notes: Freshly pressed grape juice before fermentation; symbolizes joy and abundance, now lost.
10. אֻמְלַל (umlal) – Root: אמלל; Form: Pual perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “languishes,” “withers”; Notes: Expresses the fading or wasting away of life and vitality, often used poetically for vegetation.
11. יִצְהָר (yitshar) – Root: יצהר; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “oil”; Notes: Refers to olive oil, a key product in ancient Yisraʾel’s economy and worship; its withering signifies the end of prosperity.