וַיַּ֣עַן מַלְאַךְ־יְהוָה֮ וַיֹּאמַר֒ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָאֹ֔ות עַד־מָתַ֗י אַתָּה֙ לֹֽא־תְרַחֵ֣ם אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַ֔ם וְאֵ֖ת עָרֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר זָעַ֔מְתָּה זֶ֖ה שִׁבְעִ֥ים שָׁנָֽה׃
And the messenger of YHWH answered and said, “YHWH of hosts, until when will you not have compassion upon Yerushalayim and upon the cities of Yehuda, which you have been angry with these seventy years.”
Morphology
- וַיַּעַן (va-yaʿan) — Root: ענה (ʿanah); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3ms; Translation: “And he answered”; Notes: Introduces the response of the messenger.
- מַלְאַךְ־יְהוָה (malʾakh-YHWH) — Root: מלאך (malʾakh); Form: Noun masculine singular in construct + divine name; Translation: “the messenger of YHWH”; Notes: Refers to a specific envoy representing YHWH.
- וַיֹּאמַר (va-yomar) — Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3ms; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: Introduces direct speech.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) — Root: יהוה (YHWH); Form: Proper divine name; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The Tetragrammaton.
- צְבָאֹות (tsevaʾot) — Root: צבא (tsavaʾ); Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “hosts”; Notes: Title emphasizing YHWH’s sovereignty.
- עַד־מָתַי (ʿad-matai) — Root: עד (ʿad) + מתי (matai); Form: Preposition + interrogative; Translation: “until when”; Notes: Expresses the duration of divine withholding.
- אַתָּה (attah) — Root: אתה (attah); Form: Pronoun 2ms; Translation: “you”; Notes: Addresses YHWH directly.
- לֹא־תְרַחֵם (lo-terachēm) — Root: רחם (raḥam); Form: Qal imperfect 2ms with negative particle; Translation: “will you not have compassion”; Notes: Expresses ongoing divine restraint.
- אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַם (et-Yerushalayim) — Root: ירושלם (Yerushalayim); Form: Object marker אֶת + proper noun; Translation: “upon Yerushalayim”; Notes: Marks the direct object.
- וְאֵת (ve-et) — Root: את (ʾet); Form: Conjunction + object marker; Translation: “and upon”; Notes: Links the second object.
- עָרֵי (ʿarei) — Root: עיר (ʿir); Form: Noun feminine plural construct; Translation: “the cities of”; Notes: Construct chain with Yehudah.
- יְהוּדָה (Yehudah) — Root: יהודה (Yehudah); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yehudah”; Notes: Region belonging to Yisraʾel.
- אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) — Root: אשר (ʾasher); Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces relative clause.
- זָעַמְתָּה (zaʿamta) — Root: זעם (zaʿam); Form: Qal perfect 2ms; Translation: “you have been angry with”; Notes: Denotes completed divine displeasure.
- זֶה (zeh) — Root: זה (zeh); Form: Demonstrative pronoun masculine singular; Translation: “these”; Notes: Refers to the seventy years.
- שִׁבְעִים (shivʿim) — Root: שבע (shevaʿ); Form: Numeral masculine plural; Translation: “seventy”; Notes: Symbolically significant period.
- שָׁנָה (shanah) — Root: שנה (shanah); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “years”; Notes: Completes the time expression.