Nahum 3:15

שָׁ֚ם תֹּאכְלֵ֣ךְ אֵ֔שׁ תַּכְרִיתֵ֣ךְ חֶ֔רֶב תֹּאכְלֵ֖ךְ כַּיָּ֑לֶק הִתְכַּבֵּ֣ד כַּיֶּ֔לֶק הִֽתְכַּבְּדִ֖י כָּאַרְבֶּֽה׃

There the fire will consume you the sword will cut you off it will consume you like the locust. Make yourself heavy like the locust make yourself heavy like the great locust.

Morphology

1. שָׁם (sham) — Root: שם (sham); Form: Adverb; Translation: “there”; Notes: Locates the place of Nineveh’s destruction.
2. תֹּאכְלֵךְ (toʾkhelekh) — Root: אכל (ʾakal); Form: Qal imperfect 3fs + suffix 2fs; Translation: “will consume you”; Notes: Feminine verb form matching the implied subject “fire.”
3. אֵשׁ (esh) — Root: אשׁ (ʾesh); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “fire”; Notes: Primary instrument of judgment.
4. תַּכְרִיתֵךְ (takhritekh) — Root: כרת (karat); Form: Hiphil imperfect 3fs + suffix 2fs; Translation: “will cut you off”; Notes: Causative destruction—total removal.
5. חֶרֶב (ḥerev) — Root: חרב (ḥarev); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “the sword”; Notes: Represents military devastation.
6. תֹּאכְלֵךְ (toʾkhelekh) — Root: אכל (ʾakal); Form: Qal imperfect 3fs + suffix 2fs; Translation: “it will consume you”; Notes: Repetition for emphasis—locust-like devouring.
7. כַּיָּלֶק (ka-yaleq) — Root: ילק (yaleq); Form: Preposition כְּ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “like the locust”; Notes: Locusts symbolize complete stripping.
8. הִתְכַּבֵּד (hitkabbed) — Root: כבד (kaved); Form: Hitpael imperative 2ms; Translation: “make yourself heavy”; Notes: Irony—pile up your forces like locust swarms.
9. כַּיֶּלֶק (ka-yelek) — Root: ילק (yaleq); Form: Preposition כְּ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “like the locust”; Notes: Repetition intensifies the locust imagery.
10. הִתְכַּבְּדִי (hitkabbedi) — Root: כבד (kaved); Form: Hitpael imperative 2fs; Translation: “make yourself heavy”; Notes: Change to feminine addresses the city directly.
11. כָּאַרְבֶּה (ka-arbeh) — Root: ארבה (arbeh); Form: Preposition כְּ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “like the great locust”; Notes: The אַרְבֶּה is a devastating species of locust.