Amos 8:8

הַ֤עַל זֹאת֙ לֹֽא־תִרְגַּ֣ז הָאָ֔רֶץ וְאָבַ֖ל כָּל־יֹושֵׁ֣ב בָּ֑הּ וְעָלְתָ֤ה כָאֹר֙ כֻּלָּ֔הּ וְנִגְרְשָׁ֥ה וְנִשְׁקָ֖ה כִּיאֹ֥ור מִצְרָֽיִם׃ ס

Shall not the land quake for this, and everyone who dwells in it mourn? And it shall rise up wholly like the River, and it shall be tossed about and sink like the river of Mitsrayim.

Morphology

1. הַעַל (ha-ʿal) – Root: על (ʿal); Form: Interrogative particle + preposition עַל; Translation: “Shall not … for this?”; Notes: Introduces a rhetorical question emphasizing inevitable judgment.
2. זֹאת (zot) – Root: זה (zeh); Form: Demonstrative pronoun feminine singular; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to the previous injustices and sins of Yisraʾel.
3. לֹא (lo) – Root: לא (lo); Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Used to form a rhetorical question expecting affirmation.
4. תִרְגַּז (tirgaz) – Root: רגז (ragaz); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “shall quake”; Notes: Refers to trembling or shaking—metaphorically of the land reacting to sin.
5. הָאָרֶץ (ha-ʾarets) – Root: ארץ (ʾarets); Form: Definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “the land”; Notes: Represents the territory of Yisraʾel itself, personified as trembling in response to injustice.
6. וְאָבַל (ve-ʾaval) – Root: אבל (ʾaval); Form: Conjunction וְ + Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and mourn”; Notes: Expresses deep lamentation of the people due to impending calamity.
7. כָּל (kol) – Root: כל (kol); Form: Noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “all”; Notes: Quantifies the following subject, “all who dwell.”
8. יֹושֵׁב (yoshev) – Root: ישׁב (yashav); Form: Qal participle masculine singular; Translation: “who dwells”; Notes: Refers to the inhabitants of the land collectively.
9. בָּהּ (bah) – Root: בְּ (b-) + היא (hiʾ); Form: Preposition בְּ + suffix 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “in it”; Notes: Refers back to the land as the location of mourning.
10. וְעָלְתָה (ve-ʿaltah) – Root: עלה (ʿalah); Form: Conjunction וְ + Qal perfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “and it shall rise”; Notes: Depicts the swelling or rising of the land, metaphorically like a river flood.
11. כָּאֹר (ka-ʾor) – Root: יאור (yeʾor); Form: Preposition כְּ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “like the Nile”; Notes: The “Nile” (yeʾor) symbolizes inundation and upheaval, connecting with Mitsrayim imagery.
12. כֻּלָּהּ (kullah) – Root: כל (kol); Form: Noun masculine singular + suffix 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “all of it”; Notes: Emphasizes that the whole land, not merely part, will be affected.
13. וְנִגְרְשָׁה (ve-nigreshah) – Root: גרשׁ (garash); Form: Conjunction וְ + Nifal perfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “and it shall be tossed”; Notes: Nifal conveys passive movement—driven or agitated like floodwaters.
14. וְנִשְׁקָה (ve-nishqah) – Root: שׁקה (shaqah); Form: Conjunction וְ + Nifal perfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “and it shall sink”; Notes: Likely from the verb meaning “to subside” or “to sink down” after flooding.
15. כִּיאֹור (ki-yeʾor) – Root: יאור (yeʾor); Form: Preposition כְּ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “like the river”; Notes: Refers again to the Nile River, imagery of ebb and flow symbolizing judgment cycles.
16. מִצְרָיִם (Mitsrayim) – Root: צר (tsar, “narrow, confine”); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Mitsrayim”; Notes: The Hebrew name for Egypt; serves as a geographical and symbolic reference for great floods and destruction.