פְּעֻלָּתֹו֙ אֲשֶׁר־עָ֣בַד בָּ֔הּ נָתַ֥תִּי לֹ֖ו אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם אֲשֶׁר֙ עָ֣שׂוּ לִ֔י נְאֻ֖ם אֲדֹנָ֥י יְהוִֽה׃ ס
His labor which he labored in it, I have given him the land of Mitsrayim, because they worked for Me,’ declares the Lord YHWH.
Morphology
- פְּעֻלָּתֹו (pe‘ullato) – Root: פעל (pa‘al); Form: Noun feminine singular + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “his labor”; Notes: Refers to the work or effort expended, specifically Nebukhadretstsar’s campaign effort.
- אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) – Root: —; Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces a subordinate clause defining the nature of the labor performed.
- עָבַד (ʿavad) – Root: עבד (ʿavad); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “he labored”; Notes: Indicates the completed work or service rendered by Nebukhadretstsar.
- בָּהּ (bah) – Root: ב (bet); Form: Preposition בְּ + third person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “in it”; Notes: Refers to Tyre, the city where his army labored.
- נָתַתִּי (natatti) – Root: נתן (natan); Form: Qal perfect 1st person common singular; Translation: “I have given”; Notes: YHWH declares the bestowal of Egypt as a recompense for Babylon’s effort.
- לֹו (lo) – Root: ל (lamed); Form: Preposition לְ + third person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Nebukhadretstsar, the recipient of the divine reward.
- 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 divine giving.
- מִצְרָיִם (Mitsrayim) – Root: מצר (Mitsar); Form: Proper noun dual form; Translation: “Mitsrayim (Egypt)”; Notes: The land awarded as payment to the Babylonian conqueror.
- אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) – Root: —; Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “because” or “which”; Notes: Introduces the reason clause for divine compensation.
- עָשׂוּ (ʿasu) – Root: עשה (ʿasah); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person plural; Translation: “they worked”; Notes: Refers to Nebukhadretstsar’s army acting collectively under his command.
- לִי (li) – Root: ל (lamed); Form: Preposition לְ + first person common singular suffix; Translation: “for Me”; Notes: Indicates that the Babylonian campaign served YHWH’s sovereign purposes, even unwittingly.
- נְאֻם (ne’um) – Root: נאם (naʾam); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “declaration”; Notes: A prophetic formula introducing YHWH’s authoritative pronouncement.
- אֲדֹנָי (ʾAdonai) – Root: אדן (ʾadon); Form: Noun masculine plural of majesty; Translation: “Lord”; Notes: Title of sovereignty, combined with YHWH as a divine epithet.
- יְהוִה (YHWH) – Root: הוה (havah); Form: Proper divine name; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The covenant name of Israel’s God, affirming the source of the decree.