צָרוּר֙ עֲוֹ֣ן אֶפְרָ֔יִם צְפוּנָ֖ה חַטָּאתֹֽו׃
The iniquity of Efrayim is bound up; his sin is stored away.
Morphology
- צָרוּר (tsarur) – Root: צָרַר (tsarar); Form: Qal passive participle masculine singular; Translation: “is bound up”; Notes: The imagery is of sin being tied or bundled up like a secured parcel—indicating that Ephrayim’s guilt remains preserved and unforgiven, awaiting judgment.
- עֲוֹן (ʿavon) – Root: עָוָה (ʿavah); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “iniquity”; Notes: Refers to moral corruption and guilt that remains unatoned—often connoting the consequence as well as the act of sin.
- אֶפְרָיִם (ʾEfrayim) – Root: אפר (ʾafar); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Ephrayim”; Notes: Represents the northern kingdom of Yisraʾel collectively; its sins are personified as being accumulated and remembered by YHWH.
- צְפוּנָה (tsefūnah) – Root: צָפַן (tsafan); Form: Qal passive participle feminine singular; Translation: “is stored up” or “hidden away”; Notes: Parallel to “bound up,” conveying the idea of divine preservation of guilt for future reckoning—nothing is forgotten by YHWH.
- חַטָּאתֹו (ḥattato) – Root: חָטָא (ḥataʾ); Form: Noun feminine singular + suffix 3ms; Translation: “his sin”; Notes: Refers to the personal and national wrongdoing of Ephrayim; the feminine form חַטָּאת often signifies both the act and its consequence, here depicted as carefully preserved for judgment.