וְקָ֣אם שָׁאֹון֮ בְּעַמֶּךָ֒ וְכָל־מִבְצָרֶ֣יךָ יוּשַּׁ֔ד כְּשֹׁ֧ד שַֽׁלְמַ֛ן בֵּ֥ית אַֽרְבֵ֖אל בְּיֹ֣ום מִלְחָמָ֑ה אֵ֥ם עַל־בָּנִ֖ים רֻטָּֽשָׁה׃
And tumult shall arise among your people, and all your fortresses shall be destroyed, as Shalman destroyed Beit Arbeʾel in the day of battle; the mother was dashed in pieces upon her children.
Morphology
- וְקָאם (ve-qam) – Root: קום (qum); Form: Conjunction וְ + Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and shall arise”; Notes: Indicates the sudden outbreak of violence or turmoil among the people—divinely permitted chaos.
- שָׁאֹון (shaʾon) – Root: שׁאון (shaʾon); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “tumult” or “uproar”; Notes: Denotes the sound of battle, confusion, or the noise of destruction.
- בְּעַמֶּךָ (be-ʿammekha) – Root: עם (ʿam); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine singular + suffix 2ms; Translation: “among your people”; Notes: Refers to internal turmoil within Yisraʾel, marking social and political collapse.
- וְכָל־מִבְצָרֶיךָ (ve-khol-mivtsarekha) – Root: מבצר (mivtsar); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun masculine plural construct + suffix 2ms; Translation: “and all your fortresses”; Notes: Represents the cities and defenses of Yisraʾel that will fall to invading forces.
- יוּשַּׁד (yusshad) – Root: שׁדד (shadad); Form: Pual imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “shall be destroyed”; Notes: Passive verb indicating the complete overthrow of defenses by divine decree.
- כְּשֹׁד (ke-shod) – Root: שׁדד (shadad); Form: Preposition כְּ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “as the destruction of”; Notes: Introduces a historical comparison to a known atrocity for emphasis.
- שַׁלְמַן (Shalman) – Root: Proper name; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Shalman”; Notes: Likely Shalmaneser, an Assyrian ruler notorious for violent campaigns—symbolizing merciless devastation.
- בֵּית (beit) – Root: בית (bayit); Form: Noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “house of”; Notes: Used here as part of the place name “Beit-Arbe’el.”
- אַרְבֵאל (Arbe’el) – Root: Proper name; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Arbe’el”; Notes: Possibly a city in the northern region of Yisraʾel destroyed by an Assyrian attack—its fall exemplifies utter ruin.
- בְּיֹום (be-yom) – Root: יום (yom); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “in the day of”; Notes: Indicates the specific time of catastrophe.
- מִלְחָמָה (milḥamah) – Root: לחם (laḥam); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “battle”; Notes: Refers to warfare, emphasizing the context of mass destruction.
- אֵם (ʾem) – Root: אם (ʾem); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “mother”; Notes: Symbolic of compassion and life, here tragically reversed in violent imagery.
- עַל־בָּנִים (ʿal-banim) – Root: בן (ben); Form: Preposition עַל + noun masculine plural; Translation: “upon children”; Notes: Denotes a horrific scene of massacre—children and mothers slain together.
- רֻטָּשָׁה (ruttashah) – Root: רטשׁ (ratash); Form: Pual perfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “was dashed in pieces”; Notes: Describes brutal violence—an image of utter devastation, illustrating the merciless nature of judgment upon the nation.