וְהָיָה֙ בָּעֵ֣ת הַהִ֔יא אֲחַפֵּ֥שׂ אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם בַּנֵּרֹ֑ות וּפָקַדְתִּ֣י עַל־הָאֲנָשִׁ֗ים הַקֹּֽפְאִים֙ עַל־שִׁמְרֵיהֶ֔ם הָאֹֽמְרִים֙ בִּלְבָבָ֔ם לֹֽא־יֵיטִ֥יב יְהוָ֖ה וְלֹ֥א יָרֵֽעַ׃
And it shall be in that time that I will search Yerushalayim with lamps, and I will punish the men who thicken upon their lees, those who say in their heart, ‘YHWH will not do good and will not do evil.’
Morphology
- וְהָיָה (ve-hayah) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Conjunction + Qal perfect 3ms; Translation: “and it shall be”; Notes: Standard prophetic future marker.
- בָּעֵת (ba-ʿet) – Root: עת (ʿet); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun feminine singular; Translation: “at the time”; Notes: Sets the temporal frame for the judgment.
- הַהִיא (ha-hi) – Root: הוא (hu); Form: Demonstrative pronoun feminine singular; Translation: “that”; Notes: Refers to the Day of YHWH.
- אֲחַפֵּשׂ (aḥappes) – Root: חפשׂ (ḥapes); Form: Piel imperfect 1cs; Translation: “I will search”; Notes: Intensive form—thorough investigation.
- אֶת (’et) – Root: —; Form: Direct object marker; Translation: —; Notes: Marks Yerushalayim as the object.
- יְרוּשָׁלִַם (Yerushalayim) – Root: שלם (shalam); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yerushalayim”; Notes: The city under divine scrutiny.
- בַּנֵּרֹות (ba-nerot) – Root: נר (ner); Form: Preposition בְּ + definite noun masculine plural; Translation: “with the lamps”; Notes: Image of searching every hidden place.
- וּפָקַדְתִּי (u-foqadti) – Root: פקד (paqad); Form: Conjunction + Qal perfect 1cs; Translation: “and I will punish / visit upon”; Notes: Technical verb for judgment.
- עַל (ʿal) – Root: על (ʿal); Form: Preposition; Translation: “upon / against”; Notes: Targets for divine punishment.
- הָאֲנָשִׁים (ha-anashim) – Root: אנשׁ (enosh); Form: Definite noun masculine plural; Translation: “the men”; Notes: Refers to complacent or corrupt individuals.
- הַקֹּפְאִים (ha-qofe’im) – Root: קפא (qafa’); Form: Definite Qal participle masculine plural; Translation: “those who thicken / congeal”; Notes: Idiomatically describes settling complacently like wine left on its lees.
- עַל (ʿal) – Root: על (ʿal); Form: Preposition; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Marks the surface or basis.
- שִׁמְרֵיהֶם (shimreihen) – Root: שׁמר (shamar / “lees” via metaphor); Form: Noun masculine plural construct + suffix 3mp; Translation: “their lees”; Notes: Wine imagery for moral stagnation.
- הָאֹמְרִים (ha-’omrim) – Root: אמר (’amar); Form: Definite Qal participle masculine plural; Translation: “those who say”; Notes: Describes their inner reasoning.
- בִּלְבָבָם (bilvavam) – Root: לבב (levav); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine singular + suffix 3mp; Translation: “in their heart”; Notes: Inner attitude of unbelief.
- לֹא (lo) – Root: לא (lo); Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates expectation of divine action.
- יֵיטִיב (yeitiv) – Root: יטב (yatav); Form: Hiphil imperfect 3ms; Translation: “he will do good”; Notes: Denies YHWH’s beneficent intervention.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) – Root: יהוה (YHWH); Form: Divine proper name; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: Explicit subject of the verbs.
- וְלֹא (ve-lo) – Root: לא (lo); Form: Conjunction + negative particle; Translation: “and not”; Notes: Parallel negative.
- יָרֵעַ (yareaʿ) – Root: רעע (raʿaʿ); Form: Hiphil imperfect 3ms; Translation: “he will do evil / harm”; Notes: They deny YHWH’s capacity to intervene in judgment as well.