Joel 2:25

וְשִׁלַּמְתִּ֤י לָכֶם֙ אֶת־הַשָּׁנִ֔ים אֲשֶׁר֙ אָכַ֣ל הָֽאַרְבֶּ֔ה הַיֶּ֖לֶק וְהֶחָסִ֣יל וְהַגָּזָ֑ם חֵילִי֙ הַגָּדֹ֔ול אֲשֶׁ֥ר שִׁלַּ֖חְתִּי בָּכֶֽם׃

And I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten, the young locust, the destroyer, and the cutter, My great army which I sent among you.

Morphology

1. וְשִׁלַּמְתִּ֤י (ve-shillamti) – Root: שלם (shalam); Form: Conjunction + Piel perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “and I will restore” or “repay”; Notes: Indicates restitution or compensation by YHWH for what was lost.
2. לָכֶם֙ (lakhem) – Root: לכם (lakhem); Form: Preposition לְ + suffix 2mp; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Marks the beneficiaries of divine restoration—Yisraʾel.
3. אֶת־ (ʾet) – Root: את (ʾet); Form: Direct object marker; Translation: (untranslated); Notes: Introduces the object of the verb “restore.”
4. הַשָּׁנִ֔ים (ha-shanim) – Root: שׁנה (shanah); Form: Definite noun feminine plural; Translation: “the years”; Notes: Refers to the time periods lost to locust devastation.
5. אֲשֶׁר֙ (asher) – Root: אשר (ʾasher); Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces a relative clause describing what the locust consumed.
6. אָכַ֣ל (akhal) – Root: אכל (ʾakhal); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “has eaten”; Notes: Describes total consumption or destruction by the insects.
7. הָֽאַרְבֶּ֔ה (ha-arbeh) – Root: ארבה (arbeh); Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the locust”; Notes: Represents one stage or species of the locust swarm.
8. הַיֶּ֖לֶק (ha-yeleq) – Root: ילק (yeleq); Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the young locust”; Notes: Refers to another stage of the locust’s development or type of devourer.
9. וְהֶחָסִ֣יל (ve-heḥasil) – Root: חסל (ḥasal); Form: Conjunction + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “and the destroyer”; Notes: Refers to another devastating insect species or stage of locust plague.
10. וְהַגָּזָ֑ם (ve-ha-gazam) – Root: גזם (gazam); Form: Conjunction + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “and the cutter”; Notes: Denotes a different type of locust or devouring insect—each term accentuates progressive destruction.
11. חֵילִי֙ (ḥeili) – Root: חיל (ḥayil); Form: Noun masculine singular + suffix 1cs; Translation: “My army”; Notes: YHWH personifies the locusts as His army executing divine judgment.
12. הַגָּדֹ֔ול (ha-gadol) – Root: גדל (gadal); Form: Definite adjective masculine singular; Translation: “the great”; Notes: Emphasizes the immense magnitude of the locust swarm or divine power behind it.
13. אֲשֶׁ֥ר (asher) – Root: אשר (ʾasher); Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “which”; Notes: Connects the clause describing the divine source of the plague.
14. שִׁלַּ֖חְתִּי (shillachti) – Root: שלח (shalach); Form: Piel perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I sent”; Notes: Indicates YHWH’s intentional sending of the locust army as an act of discipline.
15. בָּכֶֽם (bakhem) – Root: בכם (bakhem); Form: Preposition בְּ + suffix 2mp; Translation: “among you” or “against you”; Notes: Marks the target of the divine army’s destructive mission—YHWH’s covenant people under correction.