Zephaniah 3:7

אָמַ֜רְתִּי אַךְ־תִּירְאִ֤י אֹותִי֙ תִּקְחִ֣י מוּסָ֔ר וְלֹֽא־יִכָּרֵ֣ת מְעֹונָ֔הּ כֹּ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־פָּקַ֖דְתִּי עָלֶ֑יהָ אָכֵן֙ הִשְׁכִּ֣ימוּ הִשְׁחִ֔יתוּ כֹּ֖ל עֲלִילֹותָֽם׃

I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me, you will take discipline,’ and her dwelling will not be cut off, all that I have appointed upon her; surely they rose early, they corrupted all their deeds.

 

Morphology

  1. אָמַרְתִּי (amarti) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I said”; Notes: YHWH is the speaker, expressing His expectation for the city’s response.
  2. אַךְ (akh) – Root: אך (ʾakh); Form: Adverb; Translation: “surely”; Notes: Conveys hopeful assurance that the city would respond properly.
  3. תִּירְאִי (tireʾi) – Root: ירא (yaraʾ); Form: Qal imperfect 2nd person feminine singular; Translation: “you will fear”; Notes: Addressed to the city (feminine), expressing expected fear of YHWH.
  4. אֹותִי (ʾoti) – Root: את (ʾet); Form: Direct object marker אֵת + suffix 1st person singular; Translation: “Me”; Notes: YHWH is the direct object of the city’s fear and reverence.
  5. תִּקְחִי (tiqḥi) – Root: לקח (laqach); Form: Qal imperfect 2nd person feminine singular; Translation: “you will take”; Notes: Refers to accepting or receiving discipline willingly.
  6. מוּסָר (musar) – Root: יסר (yasar); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “discipline”; Notes: Denotes moral correction or instruction coming from YHWH.
  7. וְלֹא־ (ve-lo) – Root: לא (lo); Form: Conjunction וְ + negative particle; Translation: “and not”; Notes: Connects the hoped-for consequence with continued negation.
  8. יִכָּרֵת (yikkaret) – Root: כרת (karat); Form: Nifal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “would be cut off” / “will be cut off”; Notes: Passive form expressing the potential avoidance of destruction.
  9. מְעֹונָהּ (meʿonah) – Root: מעון (maʿon); Form: Noun masculine singular + suffix 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “her dwelling”; Notes: Refers to the city’s habitation or place of residence, personified as “her.”
  10. כֹּל (kol) – Root: כל (kol); Form: Noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “all”; Notes: Introduces the totality of what YHWH has appointed upon her.
  11. אֲשֶׁר־ (ʾasher) – Root: אשׁר (ʾasher); Form: Relative particle; Translation: “that” / “which”; Notes: Links “all” with the clause describing YHWH’s appointed actions.
  12. פָּקַדְתִּי (paqadti) – Root: פקד (paqad); Form: Qal perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I appointed” / “I visited”; Notes: Can denote visiting in judgment or oversight, here negative visitation.
  13. עָלֶיהָ (ʿaleha) – Root: על (ʿal); Form: Preposition עַל + suffix 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “upon her”; Notes: The city is the target of YHWH’s appointed dealings.
  14. אָכֵן (ʾakhen) – Root: אכן (ʾakhen); Form: Adverb; Translation: “indeed” / “surely”; Notes: Marks a sharp contrast between YHWH’s expectation and what actually happened.
  15. הִשְׁכִּימוּ (hishkimu) – Root: שׁכם (shakam); Form: Hifil perfect 3rd person common plural; Translation: “they rose early”; Notes: Expresses eagerness or diligence, here tragically directed toward corruption.
  16. הִשְׁחִיתוּ (hishḥitu) – Root: שׁחת (shachat); Form: Hifil perfect 3rd person common plural; Translation: “they corrupted” / “they ruined”; Notes: Indicates deliberate, causative destruction of their ways.
  17. כֹּל (kol) – Root: כל (kol); Form: Noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “all”; Notes: Stresses the completeness of their corrupt behavior.
  18. עֲלִילֹותָם (ʿalilotam) – Root: עלל (ʿalal); Form: Noun feminine plural + suffix 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “their deeds”; Notes: Refers to all their actions, now wholly twisted and ruined.

 

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