שִֽׁחֶתְךָ֥ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל כִּֽי־בִ֥י בְעֶזְרֶֽךָ׃
You have destroyed yourself, O Yisraʾel, for in Me is your help.
Morphology
- שִׁחֶתְךָ (shiḥetkha) – Root: שׁחת (shaḥat); Form: Piel perfect 3rd person masculine singular + suffix 2ms; Translation: “you have destroyed yourself”; Notes: Expresses self-inflicted ruin—Yisraʾel’s corruption leads to its own downfall, not merely external judgment.
- יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisraʾel) – Root: שרי (sar) + אל (El); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yisraʾel”; Notes: The covenant nation addressed directly; the name evokes irony, “he who strives with God,” yet here resists Him destructively.
- כִּי (ki) – Root: —; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for”; Notes: Introduces reason or contrast—implies that help was always available but rejected.
- בִי (bi) – Root: —; Form: Preposition בְּ + suffix 1cs; Translation: “in Me”; Notes: Denotes source or sphere of salvation—YHWH alone is the refuge and deliverer for Yisraʾel.
- בְעֶזְרֶךָ (be-ʿezrekha) – Root: עזר (ʿazar); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine singular construct + suffix 2ms; Translation: “in your help”; Notes: Indicates that YHWH Himself is the true source of aid—an implicit rebuke against reliance on human power or foreign alliances.