כִּי֩ כֹ֨ה אָמַ֜ר אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהֹוִ֗ה אַ֣ף כִּֽי־אַרְבַּ֣עַת שְׁפָטַ֣י הָרָעִ֡ים חֶ֠רֶב וְרָעָ֞ב וְחַיָּ֤ה רָעָה֙ וָדֶ֔בֶר שִׁלַּ֖חְתִּי אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם לְהַכְרִ֥ית מִמֶּ֖נָּה אָדָ֥ם וּבְהֵמָֽה׃
For thus says the Lord YHWH: “Even though my four severe judgments—sword, and famine, and wild beast, and pestilence—I have sent against Yerushalayim to cut off from it man and beast.
Morphology
- כִּי (ki) – Root: כי (ki); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for”; Notes: Introduces divine reasoning.
- כֹה (koh) – Root: —; Form: Adverb; Translation: “thus”; Notes: Standard prophetic formula introducing God’s speech.
- אָמַר (amar) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “said”; Notes: Refers to YHWH speaking.
- אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonai) – Root: אדן (ʾadon); Form: Plural of majesty with suffix; Translation: “my Lord”; Notes: Title paired with YHWH.
- יְהֹוִה (YHWH) – Root: הוה (hawah); Form: Proper noun, Tetragrammaton; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: Divine covenant name.
- אַף (ʾaf) – Root: אף (ʾaf); Form: Adverb; Translation: “even”; Notes: Adds emphasis or intensity.
- כִּי (ki) – Root: כי (ki); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “though”; Notes: Adds conditional or emphatic force.
- אַרְבַּעַת (arbaʿat) – Root: ארבע (arbaʿ); Form: Masculine singular construct; Translation: “four (of)”; Notes: Construct introducing the following noun.
- שְׁפָטַי (shefatai) – Root: שׁפט (shafat); Form: Noun masculine plural construct + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “my judgments”; Notes: Refers to God’s decrees of punishment.
- הָרָעִים (ha-raʿim) – Root: רעע (raʿaʿ); Form: Definite article + adjective masculine plural; Translation: “the evil”; Notes: Describes the judgments as calamitous.
- חֶרֶב (ḥerev) – Root: חרב (ḥerev); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “sword”; Notes: Represents warfare.
- וְרָעָב (ve-raʿav) – Root: רעב (raʿav); Form: Conjunction + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and famine”; Notes: Scarcity of food as divine judgment.
- וְחַיָּה (ve-ḥayyah) – Root: חיה (ḥayah); Form: Conjunction + noun feminine singular; Translation: “and beast”; Notes: Wild animals used as an instrument of destruction.
- רָעָה (raʿah) – Root: רעע (raʿaʿ); Form: Adjective feminine singular; Translation: “evil / wild”; Notes: Qualifies the beast as harmful.
- וָדֶבֶר (va-dever) – Root: דבר (dever); Form: Conjunction + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and pestilence”; Notes: Epidemic disease as judgment.
- שִׁלַּחְתִּי (shillaḥti) – Root: שלח (shalaḥ); Form: Piel perfect 1st person common singular; Translation: “I have sent”; Notes: Emphasizes deliberate divine action.
- אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלִַם (el-Yerushalayim) – Root: ירושׁלם (Yerushalayim); Form: Preposition + proper noun; Translation: “against Yerushalayim”; Notes: The holy city under judgment.
- לְהַכְרִית (le-hakhrīt) – Root: כרת (karat); Form: Hiphil infinitive construct with prefixed preposition; Translation: “to cut off”; Notes: Purpose clause indicating eradication.
- מִמֶּנָּה (mimmenah) – Root: מן (min); Form: Preposition + 3rd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “from it”; Notes: Refers to Yerushalayim.
- אָדָם (ʾadam) – Root: אדם (ʾadam); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “man”; Notes: Human inhabitants of the city.
- וּבְהֵמָה (u-vehemah) – Root: בהמה (behemah); Form: Conjunction + noun feminine singular; Translation: “and beast”; Notes: Includes livestock, emphasizing total devastation.