Habakkuk 2:12

הֹ֛וי בֹּנֶ֥ה עִ֖יר בְּדָמִ֑ים וְכֹונֵ֥ן קִרְיָ֖ה בְּעַוְלָֽה׃

Woe to him who builds a city with bloods and establishes a town with injustice.

Morphology

1. הֹוי (hoi) – Root: הוי (hoi); Form: Interjection; Translation: “Woe”; Notes: Signals a prophetic denunciation of wrongdoing.
2. בֹּנֶה (boneh) – Root: בנה (banah); Form: Qal participle masculine singular; Translation: “one who builds”; Notes: Indicates ongoing or characteristic action.
3. עִיר (ʿir) – Root: עיר (ʿir); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “a city”; Notes: Represents human civilization and power.
4. בְּדָמִים (be-damim) – Root: דם (dam); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine plural; Translation: “with bloods”; Notes: “Bloods” implies repeated acts of killing or violence.
5. וְכֹונֵן (ve-konen) – Root: כון (kun); Form: Conjunction + Polel participle masculine singular; Translation: “and establishes / sets firm”; Notes: Refers to founding or stabilizing a settlement.
6. קִרְיָה (qiryah) – Root: קריה (qiryah); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “a town / settlement”; Notes: Parallel to “city,” poetic restatement.
7. בְּעַוְלָה (be-ʿavlah) – Root: עול (ʿaval); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun feminine singular; Translation: “with injustice”; Notes: Denotes moral wrongdoing, oppression, and exploitation.