וַיֵּ֨דַע֙ אַלְמְנֹותָ֔יו וְעָרֵיהֶ֖ם הֶחֱרִ֑יב וַתֵּ֤שַׁם אֶ֨רֶץ֙ וּמְלֹאָ֔הּ מִקֹּ֖ול שַׁאֲגָתֹֽו׃
And he ravaged their widows, and their cities he laid waste, and the land was desolated with its fullness from the sound of his roaring.
Morphology
- וַיֵּדַע (va-yedaʿ) – Root: ידע (yadaʿ); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And he ravaged / violated”; Notes: Here “know” carries the sense of violent abuse, emphasizing destructive domination.
- אַלְמְנֹותָיו (ʾalmenotav) – Root: אלמן (ʾalman); Form: Noun feminine plural + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “their widows”; Notes: Symbolic of vulnerable ones in the nations he oppressed.
- וְעָרֵיהֶם (ve-ʿareihem) – Root: עיר (ʿir); Form: Conjunction + noun feminine plural construct + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “and their cities”; Notes: Represents the destruction of civic centers.
- הֶחֱרִיב (heḥeriv) – Root: חרב (ḥarav); Form: Hiphil perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “he laid waste”; Notes: Causative form showing deliberate devastation.
- וַתֵּשַׁם (va-tesham) – Root: שׁמם (shamam); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “and it was desolated”; Notes: Refers to the land becoming barren and ruined.
- אֶרֶץ (ʾerets) – Root: ארץ (ʾerets); Form: Noun feminine singular absolute; Translation: “land”; Notes: The territory under judgment, affected by the lion’s roar.
- וּמְלֹאָהּ (u-meloʾah) – Root: מלא (maleʾ); Form: Conjunction + noun masculine singular construct “fullness” + 3rd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “and its fullness”; Notes: Refers to everything within the land—people, produce, wealth.
- מִקֹּול (mi-qol) – Root: קול (qol); Form: Preposition מִן + noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “from the sound of”; Notes: Introduces the cause of the land’s desolation.
- שַׁאֲגָתוֹ (shaʾagato) – Root: שׁאג (shaʾag); Form: Noun feminine singular + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “his roaring”; Notes: Image of destructive power, likened to a lion’s roar filling the land with terror.