דִּבְּר֣וּ דְבָרִ֔ים אָלֹ֥ות שָׁ֖וְא כָּרֹ֣ת בְּרִ֑ית וּפָרַ֤ח כָּרֹאשׁ֙ מִשְׁפָּ֔ט עַ֖ל תַּלְמֵ֥י שָׂדָֽי׃
They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant; thus judgment springs up like hemlock in the furrows of the field.
Morphology
- דִּבְּרוּ (dibberu) – Root: דבר (davar); Form: Piel perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they have spoken”; Notes: The intensive stem (Piel) implies deliberate, emphatic speech—insincere and deceitful words against covenant faithfulness.
- דְבָרִים (devarim) – Root: דבר (davar); Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “words”; Notes: Indicates empty speech—mere talk devoid of integrity or truth.
- אָלֹות (ʾalot) – Root: אלה (ʾalah); Form: Noun feminine plural; Translation: “oaths”; Notes: Refers to sworn promises or covenantal declarations—here false and vain.
- שָׁוְא (shav) – Root: שׁוא (shav); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “falsehood” or “vanity”; Notes: Denotes deception and emptiness—swearing falsely in the name of YHWH.
- כָּרֹת (karot) – Root: כרת (karat); Form: Infinitive absolute; Translation: “in making” or “to cut”; Notes: Literally “to cut a covenant,” alluding to the ancient ritual of covenant-making by sacrifice.
- בְּרִית (berit) – Root: ברית (berit); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “covenant”; Notes: Refers to political or religious alliances—formed without sincerity or obedience to YHWH.
- וּפָרַח (u-faraḥ) – Root: פרח (paraḥ); Form: Conjunction וְ + Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and it has sprung up”; Notes: Depicts the rapid emergence of corruption or retribution—moral decay flourishing like weeds.
- כָּרֹאשׁ (ka-roʾsh) – Root: ראשׁ (roʾsh); Form: Preposition כְּ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “like hemlock” or “like poison weed”; Notes: Symbol of bitterness and deadly corruption spreading across society.
- מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) – Root: שׁפט (shafat); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “justice” or “judgment”; Notes: Once meant for righteousness, now turned bitter—justice perverted through deceitful covenants.
- עַל (ʿal) – Root: על (ʿal); Form: Preposition; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Introduces the place or setting where the corruption occurs.
- תַּלְמֵי (talmei) – Root: תלם (telem); Form: Noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “furrows of”; Notes: Agricultural metaphor—symbolizing the nation’s fields now producing moral poison instead of righteousness.
- שָׂדָי (sadai) – Root: שׂדה (sadeh); Form: Noun masculine singular construct + suffix 1cs (in construct sense, plural contextually “fields”); Translation: “the field”; Notes: Represents the land of Yisraʾel—once fertile for blessing, now sown with injustice and deceit.