Habakkuk 2:19

הֹ֣וי אֹמֵ֤ר לָעֵץ֙ הָקִ֔יצָה ע֖וּרִי לְאֶ֣בֶן דּוּמָ֑ם ה֣וּא יֹורֶ֔ה הִנֵּה־ה֗וּא תָּפוּשׂ֙ זָהָ֣ב וָכֶ֔סֶף וְכָל־ר֖וּחַ אֵ֥ין בְּקִרְבֹּֽו׃

Woe to him who says to the wood, ‘Awake!’ to the silent stone, ‘Arise!’ Will it teach? Look, it is overlaid with gold and silver, but there is no breath at all within it.

Morphology

1. הֹוי (hoy) – Root: הוי (hoy); Form: Interjection; Translation: “woe”; Notes: Introduces judgment or lament.
2. אֹמֵר (omer) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal participle masculine singular; Translation: “one who says”; Notes: Describes the idolater.
3. לָעֵץ (la-ʿets) – Root: עץ (ʿets); Form: Preposition לְ + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “to the wood”; Notes: Addressed as though alive.
4. הָקִיצָה (haqitsah) – Root: קיץ (qits); Form: Hifil imperative 2fs; Translation: “awake!”; Notes: A command directed to lifeless material.
5. עוּרִי (ʿuri) – Root: עור (ʿur); Form: Qal imperative 2fs; Translation: “arise!”; Notes: Another futile command to an inert object.
6. לְאֶבֶן (le-even) – Root: אבן (ʾeven); Form: Preposition לְ + noun feminine singular; Translation: “to a stone”; Notes: Stone is personified.
7. דּוּמָם (dumam) – Root: דםם (damam); Form: Adjective masculine singular; Translation: “silent”; Notes: Emphasizes inability to respond.
8. הוּא (hu) – Root: הוא (hu); Form: Independent pronoun 3ms; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers to the idol itself.
9. יֹורֶה (yoreh) – Root: ירה (yarah); Form: Hifil imperfect 3ms; Translation: “will it teach?”; Notes: Rhetorical—idols cannot instruct.
10. הִנֵּה (hinneh) – Root: הנה (hinneh); Form: Interjection; Translation: “look”; Notes: Draws attention to the idol’s appearance.
11. הוּא (hu) – Root: הוא (hu); Form: Independent pronoun 3ms; Translation: “it”; Notes: Repeats the focus on the lifeless object.
12. תָּפוּשׂ (tafus) – Root: תפשׂ (tafes); Form: Qal passive participle masculine singular; Translation: “overlaid”; Notes: Covered externally, not alive internally.
13. זָהָב (zahav) – Root: זהב (zahav); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “gold”; Notes: Precious metal applied to the idol.
14. וָכֶסֶף (va-kesef) – Root: כסף (kesef); Form: Conjunction + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and silver”; Notes: Enhances exterior appearance.
15. וְכָל (ve-khol) – Root: כל (kol); Form: Conjunction + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and all”; Notes: Introduces totalizing negation.
16. רוּחַ (ruaḥ) – Root: רוח (ruaḥ); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “breath”; Notes: Sign of life or spirit.
17. אֵין (ein) – Root: אין (ʾein); Form: Negative existential particle; Translation: “there is not”; Notes: Expresses total absence.
18. בְּקִרְבּוֹ (be-qirbo) – Root: קרב (qerev); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine singular construct + suffix 3ms; Translation: “within it”; Notes: Highlights internal lifelessness.