שִׁמְעוּ־זֹ֕את הַשֹּׁאֲפִ֖ים אֶבְיֹ֑ון וְלַשְׁבִּ֖ית עֲנִיֵּי־אָֽרֶץ׃
Hear this, you who trample the needy, and who seek to make the humble of the land cease,
Morphology
- שִׁמְעוּ (shimʿu) – Root: שׁמע (shamaʿ); Form: Qal imperative masculine plural; Translation: “Hear”; Notes: A direct command calling the oppressors to pay attention to the prophetic warning.
- זֹאת (zot) – Root: זה (zeh); Form: Demonstrative pronoun feminine singular; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to the message or oracle that follows.
- הַשֹּׁאֲפִים (ha-shoʾafim) – Root: שׁאף (shaʾaf); Form: Definite participle masculine plural; Translation: “the ones who trample” or “those who pant after”; Notes: The verb connotes greed or violent desire—those driven to crush or exploit others.
- אֶבְיֹון (ʾevyon) – Root: אבן (ʾevn, related to need); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “the needy”; Notes: Refers to the destitute or economically oppressed within society.
- וְלַשְׁבִּית (ve-la-shbit) – Root: שׁבת (shavat); Form: Conjunction וְ + Preposition לְ + Hifil infinitive construct; Translation: “and to cause to cease”; Notes: The Hifil stem indicates causation—those who aim to end or remove the afflicted from the land.
- עֲנִיֵּי (ʿaniyyei) – Root: ענה (ʿanah); Form: Noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “the humble of”; Notes: Construct form links with “land,” denoting the oppressed or humble ones of the land.
- אָֽרֶץ (ʾarets) – Root: ארץ (ʾarets); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “land”; Notes: Refers to the territory of Yisraʾel, representing society at large where oppression occurs.