וְהָיָה֙ כִּֽי־יֹאמְר֣וּ אֵלֶ֔יךָ עַל־מָ֖ה אַתָּ֣ה נֶאֱנָ֑ח וְאָמַרְתָּ֡ אֶל־שְׁמוּעָ֣ה כִֽי־בָאָ֡ה וְנָמֵ֣ס כָּל־לֵב֩ וְרָפ֨וּ כָל־יָדַ֜יִם וְכִהֲתָ֣ה כָל־ר֗וּחַ וְכָל־בִּרְכַּ֨יִם֙ תֵּלַ֣כְנָה מַּ֔יִם הִנֵּ֤ה בָאָה֙ וְנִֽהְיָ֔תָה נְאֻ֖ם אֲדֹנָ֥י יְהוִֽה׃ פ
And it shall be, when they say to you, ‘Why are you sighing?’ that you shall say, ‘Because of the report that is coming; and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall become weak, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall go as water. Behold, it is coming and it shall be fulfilled,’ declares the Lord YHWH.”
Morphology
- וְהָיָה (ve-hayah) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular with prefixed ו; Translation: “and it shall be”; Notes: Introduces conditional-apodosis construction.
- כִּי (ki) – Root: כי (ki); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “when”; Notes: Temporal clause marker here.
- יֹאמְרוּ (yomru) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they say”; Notes: Refers to the people questioning the prophet.
- אֵלֶיךָ (ʾeleykha) – Root: אל (ʾel); Form: Preposition + 2ms suffix; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Indicates direct address to the prophet.
- עַל־מָה (ʿal-mah) – Root: על (ʿal) + מה (mah); Form: Preposition + interrogative pronoun; Translation: “Why”; Notes: Idiomatic expression meaning “for what reason.”
- אַתָּה (ʾattah) – Root: אתה (ʾattah); Form: Independent pronoun, 2ms; Translation: “you”; Notes: Direct subject of the verb נֶאֱנָח.
- נֶאֱנָח (neʾenakh) – Root: אנח (ʾanakh); Form: Nifal participle masculine singular; Translation: “groaning”; Notes: Expressive lament, passive-reflexive stem.
- וְאָמַרְתָּ (ve-amarta) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal perfect 2ms with prefixed ו; Translation: “then you shall say”; Notes: Directive to respond to the people’s inquiry.
- אֶל־שְׁמוּעָה (el-shemuʿah) – Root: שׁמע (shamaʿ); Form: Preposition + noun feminine singular absolute; Translation: “because of the report”; Notes: Refers to news of impending calamity.
- כִּי־בָאָה (ki-baʾah) – Root: בוא (boʾ); Form: Conjunction + Qal perfect 3fs; Translation: “that it has come”; Notes: Perfect tense marks the certainty of the event.
- וְנָמֵס (ve-names) – Root: מסס (masas); Form: Niphal perfect 3ms with prefixed ו; Translation: “and shall melt”; Notes: Image of fear and despair.
- כָּל־לֵב (kol-lev) – Root: לב (lev); Form: Noun masculine singular absolute with כָּל; Translation: “every heart”; Notes: Represents courage and resolve.
- וְרָפוּ (ve-rafu) – Root: רפה (rafah); Form: Qal perfect 3cp with prefixed ו; Translation: “and shall be feeble”; Notes: Describes loss of strength.
- כָל־יָדַיִם (kol-yadayim) – Root: יד (yad); Form: Noun dual construct with כָּל; Translation: “all hands”; Notes: Symbol of action and ability, now weakened.
- וְכִהֲתָה (ve-kihatah) – Root: כהה (kahah); Form: Qal perfect 3fs with prefixed ו; Translation: “and shall faint”; Notes: Feminine subject רוּחַ.
- כָל־רוּחַ (kol-ruaḥ) – Root: רוח (ruaḥ); Form: Noun feminine singular absolute with כָּל; Translation: “every spirit”; Notes: Represents inner strength, vitality, or courage.
- וְכָל־בִּרְכַּיִם (ve-kol-birkayim) – Root: ברך (berekh); Form: Noun dual construct with כָּל; Translation: “and all knees”; Notes: Emblematic of physical strength, now collapsing.
- תֵּלַכְנָה (telakhnah) – Root: הלך (halakh); Form: Qal imperfect 3fp; Translation: “shall go”; Notes: Idiom “knees go as water,” expressing extreme fear or helplessness.
- מַּיִם (mayim) – Root: מים (mayim); Form: Noun masculine plural (dual form in sense); Translation: “water”; Notes: Metaphor for weakness, instability.
- הִנֵּה (hinneh) – Root: הן (hen); Form: Interjection; Translation: “behold”; Notes: Highlights certainty and immediacy.
- בָאָה (baʾah) – Root: בוא (boʾ); Form: Qal perfect 3fs; Translation: “it has come”; Notes: Refers again to the impending calamity.
- וְנִהְיָתָה (ve-nihyetah) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Niphal perfect 3fs; Translation: “and it has come to pass”; Notes: Niphal gives passive nuance, showing the event’s fulfillment.
- נְאֻם (neʾum) – Root: נאם (naʾam); Form: Noun masculine singular absolute; Translation: “oracle/utterance”; Notes: Technical term for prophetic declaration.
- אֲדֹנָי (Adonai) – Root: אדן (ʾadon); Form: Proper noun, divine title; Translation: “my Lord”; Notes: Title of sovereignty for YHWH.
- יְהוִה (YHWH) – Root: הוה (havah); Form: Proper noun, Tetragrammaton; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: Covenant name; final divine seal of the proclamation.