וְהִשְׁמִ֤יעוּ עָלַ֨יִךְ֙ בְּקֹולָ֔ם וְיִזְעֲק֖וּ מָרָ֑ה וְיַעֲל֤וּ עָֽפָר֙ עַל־רָ֣אשֵׁיהֶ֔ם בָּאֵ֖פֶר יִתְפַּלָּֽשׁוּ׃
And they shall raise their voices over you and shall cry bitterly; they shall cast dust upon their heads and shall wallow in ashes.
Morphology
- וְהִשְׁמִיעוּ (ve-hishmiʿu) – Root: שׁמע (shamaʿ); Form: Hifil wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “and they made heard” or “they raised (their voices)”; Notes: Hifil indicates causative action—making their voices heard in lamentation.
- עָלַיִךְ (ʿalayikh) – Root: על (ʿal); Form: Preposition עַל + suffix 2nd person feminine singular; Translation: “over you”; Notes: Refers to the lament directed toward Tyre, personified as a fallen queen or city.
- בְּקֹולָם (be-qolam) – Root: קול (qol); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine singular construct + suffix 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “with their voice”; Notes: Denotes the means of expression—raising the voice in public mourning.
- וְיִזְעֲקוּ (ve-yizʿaqu) – Root: זעק (zaʿaq); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural with prefixed conjunction וְ; Translation: “and they shall cry”; Notes: Expresses a loud wail or cry of grief typical in Near Eastern mourning rituals.
- מָרָה (marah) – Root: מרר (marar); Form: Adverbial accusative (from adjective feminine singular); Translation: “bitterly”; Notes: Intensifies the emotional tone, describing the cry as full of anguish and sorrow.
- וְיַעֲלוּ (ve-yaʿalu) – Root: עלה (ʿalah); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural with prefixed conjunction וְ; Translation: “and they shall raise” or “and they shall cast up”; Notes: Used here in the sense of throwing dust upward as a mourning gesture.
- עָפָר (ʿafar) – Root: עפר (ʿafar); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “dust”; Notes: Symbolic of mourning, humiliation, and death—dust upon the head expresses deep grief.
- עַל־רָאשֵׁיהֶם (ʿal-roʾsheihem) – Root: ראשׁ (roʾsh); Form: Preposition עַל + noun masculine plural construct + suffix 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “upon their heads”; Notes: A traditional act of lamentation, casting dust upon oneself in mourning.
- בָּאֵפֶר (ba-efer) – Root: אפר (ʾefer); Form: Preposition בְּ + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “in the ashes”; Notes: Indicates a state of mourning—sitting or rolling in ashes was a sign of extreme grief.
- יִתְפַּלָּשׁוּ (yitpallashu) – Root: פלשׁ (palash); Form: Hitpael imperfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they shall wallow themselves”; Notes: The reflexive stem emphasizes self-abasement and ritual mourning actions performed by the mourners.