Hosea 5:13

וַאֲנִ֥י כָעָ֖שׁ לְאֶפְרָ֑יִם וְכָרָקָ֖ב לְבֵ֥ית יְהוּדָֽה׃

And I am like a moth to Efrayim, and like rottenness to the house of Yehuda.

Morphology

1. וַאֲנִי (va-ʾani) – Root: אני (ʾani); Form: Conjunction וְ + independent pronoun 1st person common singular; Translation: “And I”; Notes: The speaker is YHWH, introducing a self-referential statement of action or identity.
2. כָעָשׁ (ka-ʿash) – Root: עשׁ (ʿash); Form: Preposition כְּ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “like a moth”; Notes: The moth symbolizes slow, consuming decay from within.
3. לְאֶפְרָיִם (le-ʾEfrayim) – Root: אפרים (ʾEfrayim); Form: Preposition לְ + proper noun; Translation: “to Ephrayim”; Notes: Refers to the northern kingdom, representing Yisraʾel as a whole.
4. וְכָרָקָב (ve-kha-raqav) – Root: רקב (raqav); Form: Conjunction וְ + preposition כְּ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and like rottenness”; Notes: Symbolic of internal corruption and moral decay.
5. לְבֵית (le-beit) – Root: בית (bayit); Form: Preposition לְ + noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “to the house of”; Notes: Forms a construct relationship with the following proper noun.
6. יְהוּדָה (Yehudah) – Root: יהודה (Yehudah); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yehudah”; Notes: Refers to the southern kingdom; the verse contrasts divine affliction on both Yisraʾelite kingdoms.