אֵלֶ֥יךָ יְהוָ֖ה אֶקְרָ֑א כִּ֣י אֵ֗שׁ אָֽכְלָה֙ נְאֹ֣ות מִדְבָּ֔ר וְלֶ֣הָבָ֔ה לִהֲטָ֖ה כָּל־עֲצֵ֥י הַשָּׂדֶֽה׃
To You, O YHWH, I call, for fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flame has burned all the trees of the field.
Morphology
- אֵלֶיךָ (ʾeilekha) – Root: אל; Form: Preposition אֶל + suffix 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “to You”; Notes: Marks direct address to YHWH in prayer or lament.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) – Root: יהוה; Form: Proper noun, divine name; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The covenantal name of God, invoked here personally in supplication.
- אֶקְרָא (eqra) – Root: קרא; Form: Qal imperfect 1st person common singular; Translation: “I call,” “I cry out”; Notes: Expresses ongoing or repeated action—continuous appeal to God for help.
- כִּי (ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for,” “because”; Notes: Introduces the reason for the prophet’s cry to YHWH.
- אֵשׁ (ʾesh) – Root: אשׁ; Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “fire”; Notes: Often symbolizes divine judgment or destruction; literal here, representing drought-induced wildfires.
- אָכְלָה (ʾokhlah) – Root: אכל; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “has devoured”; Notes: The feminine verb agrees with “fire” as its subject, expressing complete consumption.
- נְאֹות (neʾot) – Root: נוה; Form: Noun feminine plural; Translation: “pastures,” “habitations”; Notes: Refers to grassy or inhabited areas; “pastures” fits the context of devastation in the wilderness.
- מִדְבָּר (midbar) – Root: דבר; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “wilderness”; Notes: Denotes open grazing land; signifies uninhabited or arid regions suffering destruction.
- וְלֶהָבָה (ve-lehavah) – Root: להב; Form: Conjunction וְ + noun feminine singular; Translation: “and flame”; Notes: Parallel to “fire,” emphasizing the consuming nature of divine or natural devastation.
- לִהֲטָה (lihatah) – Root: להט; Form: Piel perfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “has burned,” “has scorched”; Notes: Intensive form—flame utterly consuming everything in its path.
- כָּל (kol) – Root: כל; Form: Noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “all,” “every”; Notes: Expresses totality—no part of the land spared.
- עֲצֵי (ʿatsei) – Root: עץ; Form: Noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “trees of”; Notes: Construct state links with “field.”
- הַשָּׂדֶה (ha-sadeh) – Root: שׂדה; Form: Definite noun masculine singular with article הַ; Translation: “the field”; Notes: Represents cultivated land or countryside; its destruction completes the image of total devastation.