Hosea 5:8

תִּקְע֤וּ שֹׁופָר֙ בַּגִּבְעָ֔ה חֲצֹצְרָ֖ה בָּרָמָ֑ה הָרִ֨יעוּ֙ בֵּ֣ית אָ֔וֶן אַחֲרֶ֖יךָ בִּנְיָמִֽין׃

Blow a shofar in Giveʿa, a trumpet in Rama; shout in Beth Awen! Behind you, Binyamin!

Morphology

1. תִּקְעוּ (tiqʿu) – Root: תקע (t-q-ʿ); Form: Qal imperative masculine plural; Translation: “Blow!”; Notes: A command directed to watchmen or priests, urging a trumpet blast to warn of impending danger or divine judgment.
2. שֹׁופָר (shofar) – Root: שפר (sh-p-r); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “ram’s horn” or “shofar”; Notes: Used for religious and military alarms; its sound symbolizes divine warning and national alarm.
3. בַּגִּבְעָה (baggivʿah) – Root: גבע (g-b-ʿ); Form: Preposition בְּ + definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “in Givʿah”; Notes: A city in Binyamin’s territory; historically associated with moral corruption and later prophetic warnings.
4. חֲצֹצְרָה (ḥaṣotserah) – Root: חצצר (ḥ-ṣ-ṣ-r); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “trumpet”; Notes: Metallic instrument distinct from the shofar; paired here to intensify the urgency of the alarm.
5. בָּרָמָה (baramah) – Root: רום (r-w-m); Form: Preposition בְּ + proper noun; Translation: “in Ramah”; Notes: Another city in Binyamin’s land; associated with prophets and mourning (cf. Jeremiah 31:15).
6. הָרִיעוּ (hariʿu) – Root: רוע (r-w-ʿ); Form: Hiphil imperative masculine plural; Translation: “Shout!” or “Raise the alarm!”; Notes: A call to battle or divine alarm, symbolizing the imminence of invasion or judgment.
7. בֵּית אָוֶן (beit-ʾaven) – Root: און (ʾ-w-n); Form: Construct noun + proper noun; Translation: “Beth-Awen”; Notes: Literally “House of Wickedness,” a prophetic derision for Bethel (“House of God”), corrupted by idolatry.
8. אַחֲרֶיךָ (aḥarekha) – Root: אחר (ʾ-ḥ-r); Form: Preposition + pronominal suffix 2ms; Translation: “behind you”; Notes: A warning to Binyamin that destruction follows swiftly; may also carry military connotation of pursuit.
9. בִּנְיָמִן (Binyamin) – Root: ימן (y-m-n); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Binyamin”; Notes: Name means “son of the right hand”; represents the southern tribes neighboring the northern kingdom, now warned of encroaching calamity.