הַיְרֻצ֤וּן בַּסֶּ֨לַע֙ סוּסִ֔ים אִֽם־יַחֲרֹ֖ושׁ בַּבְּקָרִ֑ים כִּֽי־הֲפַכְתֶּ֤ם לְרֹאשׁ֙ מִשְׁפָּ֔ט וּפְרִ֥י צְדָקָ֖ה לְלַעֲנָֽה׃
Do horses run upon the rock? Does one plow there with oxen? For you have turned justice into poison, and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood.
Morphology
- הַיְרֻצ֤וּן (ha-yerutsun) – Root: רוץ (ruts); Form: Interrogative particle הֲ + Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “Do they run?”; Notes: A rhetorical question emphasizing absurdity—horses cannot run on rocks without ruin.
- בַּסֶּלַע (ba-selaʿ) – Root: סלע (selaʿ); Form: Preposition בְּ + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “upon the rock”; Notes: Symbol of impossibility—an unnatural terrain for horses, illustrating moral perversion.
- סוּסִים (susim) – Root: סוס (sus); Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “horses”; Notes: Symbolic of strength and speed—here used ironically to expose human folly.
- אִם (ʾim) – Root: —; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “or”; Notes: Introduces the second rhetorical question that parallels the first in structure.
- יַחֲרֹושׁ (yaḥarosh) – Root: חרשׁ (ḥarash); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “does one plow?”; Notes: Continues the absurd metaphor—plowing on rock is as futile as their distortion of justice.
- בַּבְּקָרִים (ba-bekarim) – Root: בקר (baqar); Form: Preposition בְּ + definite noun masculine plural; Translation: “with oxen”; Notes: Refers to oxen as plowing animals; points to natural order, contrasted with the disorder of Israel’s actions.
- כִּי (ki) – Root: כי (ki); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for”; Notes: Connects the analogy to the moral accusation that follows.
- הֲפַכְתֶּם (hafakhtem) – Root: הפך (hafakh); Form: Qal perfect 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “you have turned”; Notes: Indicates active reversal—perverting moral order and divine principles.
- לְרֹאשׁ (le-roʾsh) – Root: רֹאשׁ (roʾsh); Form: Preposition לְ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “into poison”; Notes: “Roʾsh” refers to a poisonous plant or venom—justice becomes toxic and harmful.
- מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) – Root: שׁפט (shafat); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “justice”; Notes: Central prophetic term—represents God’s standard of righteousness perverted by corruption.
- וּפְרִי (u-feri) – Root: פרה (parah); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “and the fruit of”; Notes: Symbolic of moral outcomes or societal results—what should have been good now brings bitterness.
- צְדָקָה (tsedaqah) – Root: צדק (tsadaq); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “righteousness”; Notes: Denotes ethical integrity and justice; contrasts with the corrupted fruit that follows.
- לְלַעֲנָה (le-laʿanah) – Root: לענה (laʿanah); Form: Preposition לְ + noun feminine singular; Translation: “into wormwood”; Notes: Wormwood symbolizes bitterness and moral decay—righteousness transformed into corruption.