לָכֵ֗ן כֹּ֤ה אָמַר֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֔ה הִנְנִ֥י נֹתֵ֛ן לִנְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּ֥ר מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֖ל אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם וְנָשָׂ֨א הֲמֹנָ֜הּ וְשָׁלַ֤ל שְׁלָלָהּ֙ וּבָזַ֣ז בִּזָּ֔הּ וְהָיְתָ֥ה שָׂכָ֖ר לְחֵילֹֽו׃
Therefore thus says the Lord YHWH: ‘Behold, I am giving to Nebukhadretstsar king of Bavel the land of Mitsrayim, and he shall carry off her multitude, and he shall take her spoil, and he shall plunder her prey, and it shall be wages for his army.
Morphology
- לָכֵן (lakhen) – Root: כן (ken); Form: Preposition לְ + adverb; Translation: “Therefore”; Notes: Introduces a divine conclusion or consequence of previous actions.
- כֹּה (koh) – Root: —; Form: Adverb; Translation: “Thus”; Notes: Marks the solemn introduction to a divine oracle.
- אָמַר (ʾamar) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “has said”; Notes: Refers to YHWH’s authoritative speech.
- אֲדֹנָי (ʾAdonai) – Root: אדן (ʾadon); Form: Noun masculine plural of majesty; Translation: “Lord”; Notes: Used in reverent substitution for YHWH in address.
- יְהוִה (YHWH) – Root: הוה (havah); Form: Proper divine name; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The personal covenant name of Israel’s God.
- הִנְנִי (hineni) – Root: הנה (hinneh); Form: Interjection + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “Behold, I am”; Notes: Expresses divine immediacy and intentional action.
- נֹתֵן (noten) – Root: נתן (natan); Form: Qal participle masculine singular; Translation: “giving”; Notes: Ongoing or imminent divine action, emphasizing YHWH’s agency.
- לִנְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר (li-Nevukhadretstsar) – Root: —; Form: Preposition לְ + proper noun; Translation: “to Nebukhadretstsar”; Notes: The object receiving the divine grant of land.
- מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל (melekh-Bavel) – Root: מלך (melek); Form: Noun masculine singular construct + proper noun; Translation: “king of Babel”; Notes: Identifies Nebukhadretstsar as ruler of Babylon.
- אֶת־אֶרֶץ (et-erets) – Root: ארץ (ʾerets); Form: Direct object marker + noun feminine singular; Translation: “the land”; Notes: Marks Mitsrayim as the direct object of YHWH’s act of giving.
- מִצְרַיִם (Mitsrayim) – Root: מצר (Mitsar); Form: Proper noun dual form; Translation: “Mitsrayim (Egypt)”; Notes: The land being transferred as recompense for Babylon’s labor against Tyre.
- וְנָשָׂא (ve-nasa) – Root: נשׂא (nasaʾ); Form: Conjunction וְ + Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and he shall carry off”; Notes: Refers to Nebukhadretstsar seizing Egypt’s wealth or population.
- הֲמֹנָהּ (hamonah) – Root: המון (hamon); Form: Noun masculine singular + 3rd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “her multitude”; Notes: Likely refers to Egypt’s people, wealth, or military forces.
- וְשָׁלַל (ve-shalal) – Root: שׁלל (shalal); Form: Conjunction וְ + Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and he shall take spoil”; Notes: Describes the taking of Egypt’s treasures or goods.
- שְׁלָלָהּ (shelalah) – Root: שׁלל (shalal); Form: Noun masculine singular + 3rd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “her spoil”; Notes: Refers to possessions or riches seized as war booty.
- וּבָזַז (u-vazaz) – Root: בזז (bazaz); Form: Conjunction וְ + Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and he shall plunder”; Notes: Synonymous parallel to “he shall take spoil.”
- בִּזָּהּ (bizzah) – Root: בזז (bazaz); Form: Noun feminine singular + 3rd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “her prey” or “her plunder”; Notes: Emphasizes the totality of Egypt’s despoiling.
- וְהָיְתָה (ve-hayetah) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Conjunction וְ + Qal perfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “and it shall be”; Notes: Introduces the result clause of divine decree.
- שָׂכָר (sakhar) – Root: שׂכר (sakar); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “wages”; Notes: Symbolic recompense for Nebukhadretstsar’s military service against Tyre.
- לְחֵילֹו (le-ḥeilo) – Root: חיל (ḥayil); Form: Preposition לְ + noun masculine singular + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “for his army”; Notes: Indicates the Babylonian army as the beneficiary of the spoils of Mitsrayim.