לָכֵ֣ן חַי־אָ֡נִי נְאֻם֩ יְהוָ֨ה צְבָאֹ֜ות אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל כִּֽי־מֹואָ֞ב כִּסְדֹ֤ם תִּֽהְיֶה֙ וּבְנֵ֤י עַמֹּון֙ כַּֽעֲמֹרָ֔ה מִמְשַׁ֥ק חָר֛וּל וּמִכְרֵה־מֶ֥לַח וּשְׁמָמָ֖ה עַד־עֹולָ֑ם שְׁאֵרִ֤ית עַמִּי֙ יְבָזּ֔וּם וְיֶ֥תֶר גּוֹי יִנְחָלֽוּם׃
Therefore, as I live—utterance of YHWH of hosts, the God of Yisraʾel—surely Moʾav shall be like Sedom and the sons of ʿAmmon like ʿAmorah: a possession of nettles and a pit of salt and a desolation forever; the remnant of My people shall plunder them, and the remainder of My nation shall inherit them.
Morphology
- לָכֵן (laken) – Root: כן (ken); Form: Adverb; Translation: “Therefore”; Notes: Introduces the divine response to previous offenses.
- חַי (ḥai) – Root: חי (ḥai); Form: Adjective masculine singular; Translation: “live”; Notes: Used in divine oath formulas.
- אָ֡נִי (ani) – Root: אני (ani); Form: Independent pronoun 1cs; Translation: “I”; Notes: Emphatic pronoun in divine declaration.
- נְאֻם (neʾum) – Root: נאם (naʾam); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “utterance of”; Notes: Technical prophetic term introducing divine speech.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) – Root: הוה (havah); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: Speaker of the oracle.
- צְבָאֹות (tsevaʾot) – Root: צבא (tsavaʾ); Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “of hosts”; Notes: Military title emphasizing divine power.
- אֱלֹהֵי (ʾelohei) – Root: אל (ʾel); Form: Noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “God of”; Notes: Construct phrase modifying Yisraʾel.
- יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisraʾel) – Root: שרה (sarāh); Form: Proper noun masculine singular; Translation: “Yisraʾel”; Notes: Covenant nation.
- כִּי (ki) – Root: כי (ki); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “surely”; Notes: In oath context, intensifies the certainty of the statement.
- מֹואָב (Moʾav) – Root: מואב (Moʾav); Form: Proper noun masculine singular; Translation: “Moʾav”; Notes: Target of divine judgment.
- כִּסְדֹם (ki-Sedom) – Root: סדם (Sedom); Form: Preposition כְּ + proper noun; Translation: “like Sedom”; Notes: Compares Moʾav to the destroyed city.
- תִּהְיֶה (tihyeh) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Qal imperfect 3fs; Translation: “shall be”; Notes: Agrees with Moʾav (feminine city-as-entity).
- וּבְנֵי (u-ve-nei) – Root: בן (ben); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “and the sons of”; Notes: Introduces second subject.
- עַמֹּון (ʿAmmon) – Root: עמן (ʿaman); Form: Proper noun masculine singular; Translation: “ʿAmmon”; Notes: Paralleled with Moʾav.
- כַּעֲמֹרָה (ka-ʿAmorah) – Root: עמר (ʿamar); Form: Preposition כְּ + proper noun; Translation: “like ʿAmorah”; Notes: Further parallel of destruction.
- מִמְשַׁק (mimshaq) – Root: משׁק (mashaq); Form: Preposition מִן + noun masculine singular; Translation: “a possession of”; Notes: Describes desolate land use.
- חָרֻל (ḥarul) – Root: חרל (ḥaral); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “nettles”; Notes: Symbol of neglect and desolation.
- וּמִכְרֵה־מֶלַח (u-mikhreh melach) – Root: כרה (karah) / מלח (melach); Form: Conjunction וְ + preposition מִן + noun masculine singular construct + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and a pit of salt”; Notes: Salt pits evoke barren, unusable land.
- וּשְׁמָמָה (u-shemamah) – Root: שׁמם (shamam); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun feminine singular; Translation: “and a desolation”; Notes: Summarizes the condition of the land.
- עַד־עֹולָם (ʿad-ʿolam) – Root: עלם (ʿalam); Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “forever”; Notes: Emphasizes irreversible devastation.
- שְׁאֵרִית (sheʾerit) – Root: שאר (shaʾar); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “the remnant”; Notes: Technical term for survivors of YHWH’s people.
- עַמִּי (ʿammi) – Root: עם (ʿam); Form: Noun masculine singular + suffix 1cs; Translation: “My people”; Notes: YHWH speaks possessively of His nation.
- יְבָזּוּם (yevazzum) – Root: בזז (bazaz); Form: Piel imperfect 3mp + suffix 3mp; Translation: “they shall plunder them”; Notes: Intensive stem denotes complete stripping.
- וְיֶתֶר (ve-yeter) – Root: יתר (yatar); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and the remainder of”; Notes: Paired with “remnant.”
- גּוֹי (goy) – Root: גוי (goy); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “nation”; Notes: Here refers to YHWH’s nation as collective.
- יִנְחָלוּם (yinkhalum) – Root: נחל (nakhal); Form: Qal imperfect 3mp + suffix 3mp; Translation: “they shall inherit them”; Notes: Describes territorial reversal: YHWH’s people inherit their former oppressors.