מְזֵ֥י רָעָ֛ב וּלְחֻ֥מֵי רֶ֖שֶׁף וְקֶ֣טֶב מְרִירִ֑י וְשֶׁן־בְּהֵמֹות֙ אֲשַׁלַּח־בָּ֔ם עִם־חֲמַ֖ת זֹחֲלֵ֥י עָפָֽר׃
Emaciated by hunger, consumed by burning heat and deadly plague; I will send against them the teeth of beasts, with the venom of crawling things of the dust.
Morphology
- מְזֵ֥י (mezey) – Root: מזה (m-z-h); Form: Masculine plural construct; Translation: “emaciated”; Notes: Refers to extreme hunger or starvation.
- רָעָ֛ב (ra’av) – Root: רעב (r-ʿ-b); Form: Masculine singular noun; Translation: “hunger”; Notes: Indicates famine or starvation as a form of punishment.
- וּלְחֻ֥מֵי (ulḥumei) – Root: לחם (l-ḥ-m); Form: Masculine plural construct with conjunction; Translation: “consumed by”; Notes: Refers to being devoured or burned by intense heat.
- רֶ֖שֶׁף (reshef) – Root: רשף (r-sh-p); Form: Masculine singular noun; Translation: “burning heat”; Notes: Can also refer to a plague or fiery judgment.
- וְקֶ֣טֶב (veqetev) – Root: קטב (q-t-b); Form: Masculine singular noun with conjunction; Translation: “deadly plague”; Notes: Suggests a destructive force, possibly disease.
- מְרִירִ֑י (meriri) – Root: מרר (m-r-r); Form: Masculine singular construct with 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “of bitterness”; Notes: Denotes something intensely bitter or grievous.
- וְשֶׁן־בְּהֵמֹות֙ (veshen-behemot) – Root: שן (sh-n), בהמה (b-h-m); Form: Construct form “the teeth of beasts”; Translation: “the teeth of beasts”; Notes: Refers to wild animals as agents of destruction.
- אֲשַׁלַּח־בָּ֔ם (ashallaḥ-bam) – Root: שלח (sh-l-ḥ); Form: Piel imperfect 1st person singular + preposition; Translation: “I will send against them”; Notes: Emphasizes the intentional sending of destructive forces.
- עִם־חֲמַ֖ת (im-ḥamat) – Root: חמה (ḥ-m-h); Form: Feminine singular construct; Translation: “with the venom”; Notes: Refers to poisonous or harmful substances.
- זֹחֲלֵ֥י (zoḥalei) – Root: זחל (z-ḥ-l); Form: Masculine plural construct; Translation: “crawling things”; Notes: Refers to serpents or other creeping creatures.
- עָפָֽר׃ (afar) – Root: עפר (ʿ-f-r); Form: Masculine singular noun; Translation: “of the dust”; Notes: Indicates creatures that move along the ground, symbolizing humiliation or lowliness.