וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־כִּלָּה֙ לֶֽאֱכֹול֙ אֶת־עֵ֣שֶׂב הָאָ֔רֶץ וָאֹמַ֗ר אֲדֹנָ֤י יְהוִה֙ סְֽלַֽח־נָ֔א מִ֥י יָק֖וּם יַֽעֲקֹ֑ב כִּ֥י קָטֹ֖ן הֽוּא׃
And it came to pass, when it had finished devouring the grass of the land, that I said, “Lord YHWH, forgive, I pray; how shall Yaʿaqov stand, for he is small?”
Morphology
- וְהָיָה (ve-hayah) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Conjunction וְ + Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular (used as future or narrative tense); Translation: “And it came to pass”; Notes: Introduces the next phase in the vision, marking a temporal transition.
- אִם (ʾim) – Root: —; Form: Conditional particle; Translation: “when” or “if”; Notes: Functions conditionally here, leading into a specific event in the vision sequence.
- כִּלָּה (killah) – Root: כלה (kalah); Form: Piel perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “it had finished”; Notes: Refers to the completion of the locusts’ consuming activity, total devastation implied.
- לֶאֱכֹול (leʾekhol) – Root: אכל (ʾakhal); Form: Preposition לְ + Qal infinitive construct; Translation: “to eat” or “to devour”; Notes: Indicates the purpose of the locusts’ action—destruction of vegetation.
- אֶת־עֵשֶׂב (et-ʿesev) – Root: עשׂב (ʿesev); Form: Direct object marker + noun masculine singular; Translation: “the grass of”; Notes: Refers to cultivated or wild vegetation essential for life and livestock.
- הָאָרֶץ (ha-ʾarets) – Root: ארץ (ʾarets); Form: Definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “the land”; Notes: Denotes the territory of Yisraʾel, the focus of the locust plague in the vision.
- וָאֹמַר (va-ʾomar) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Conjunction וְ + Qal imperfect 1st person common singular (converted to past by waw-consecutive); Translation: “then I said”; Notes: Marks Amos’s intercession following the vision of destruction.
- אֲדֹנָי (Adonai) – Root: אדן (ʾadon); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Lord”; Notes: Title expressing reverence and submission to divine authority.
- יְהוִה (YHWH) – Root: הוה (hvh); Form: Proper noun, divine name; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The covenantal name of God, often paired with *Adonai* for emphasis on sovereignty and compassion.
- סְלַח־נָא (selach-na) – Root: סלח (salach); Form: Qal imperative masculine singular + enclitic particle נָא; Translation: “forgive, I pray”; Notes: A plea for mercy; the particle softens the request into a humble supplication.
- מִי (mi) – Root: —; Form: Interrogative pronoun; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces a rhetorical question highlighting hopelessness.
- יָקוּם (yaqum) – Root: קום (qum); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “shall stand”; Notes: Denotes recovery or survival—Amos intercedes for the restoration of Yisraʾel.
- יַעֲקֹב (Yaʿaqov) – Root: עקב (ʿaqav); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yaʿaqov”; Notes: Refers collectively to the people of Yisraʾel, descendants of Jacob.
- כִּי (ki) – Root: כי (ki); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for”; Notes: Introduces the reason for Amos’s plea—Yisraʾel’s helplessness.
- קָטֹן (qaton) – Root: קטן (qatan); Form: Adjective masculine singular; Translation: “small”; Notes: Denotes weakness, insignificance, or powerlessness; expresses compassion for Yisraʾel’s frailty.
- הוּא (hu) – Root: —; Form: Independent pronoun masculine singular; Translation: “he”; Notes: Refers to Yaʿaqov; emphasizes his vulnerability in contrast to divine might.