Hosea 4:2

אָלֹ֣ה וְכַחֵ֔שׁ וְרָצֹ֥חַ וְגָנֹ֖ב וְנָאֹ֑ף פָּרָ֕צוּ וְדָמִ֥ים בְּדָמִ֖ים נָגָֽעוּ׃

Swearing, lying, murdering, stealing, and committing adultery. They have broken all bounds, and blood touches blood.

Morphology

1. אָלֹה (ʾalah) – Root: אלה (ʾ-l-h); Form: Noun feminine singular or infinitive absolute (used substantively); Translation: “swearing” or “oath”; Notes: Refers to false or deceitful oaths—violations of truth and integrity in speech, indicative of covenant-breaking behavior.
2. וְכַחֵשׁ (ve-khaḥesh) – Root: כחשׁ (k-ḥ-š); Form: Conjunction וְ + infinitive absolute or noun; Translation: “and lying”; Notes: Denotes deception and denial of truth—paired with false swearing as moral corruption in speech.
3. וְרָצֹחַ (ve-ratsoaḥ) – Root: רצח (r-ṣ-ḥ); Form: Conjunction וְ + infinitive absolute; Translation: “and murdering”; Notes: Represents bloodshed and violence—the shedding of innocent blood contrary to Torah ethics (Exodus 20:13).
4. וְגָנֹב (ve-ganov) – Root: גנב (g-n-v); Form: Conjunction וְ + infinitive absolute; Translation: “and stealing”; Notes: Another Decalogue violation; these verbs form a catalogue of moral collapse, signaling complete lawlessness in society.
5. וְנָאֹף (ve-naʾof) – Root: נאף (n-ʾ-p); Form: Conjunction וְ + infinitive absolute; Translation: “and committing adultery”; Notes: Represents marital and covenantal unfaithfulness, often symbolic of idolatry in prophetic discourse.
6. פָּרָצוּ (paratsu) – Root: פרץ (p-r-ṣ); Form: Qal perfect 3mp; Translation: “they have broken out” or “they have overflowed”; Notes: Conveys the image of lawlessness bursting forth—transgression without restraint or boundaries.
7. וְדָמִים (ve-damim) – Root: דם (d-m); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun masculine plural; Translation: “and bloods”; Notes: Plural form emphasizes multiple acts of violence and murder—bloodshed upon bloodshed.
8. בְּדָמִים (be-damim) – Root: דם (d-m); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine plural; Translation: “with (other) bloods” or “upon bloods”; Notes: Suggests accumulation—each violent act compounding upon the next, describing a society drenched in crime and bloodguilt.
9. נָגָעוּ (nagaʿu) – Root: נגע (n-g-ʿ); Form: Qal perfect 3mp; Translation: “they have touched”; Notes: Indicates the contagion of sin and violence—blood touching blood symbolizes continual moral pollution, with one crime leading directly to another.