וְעָנָ֤ה אִיִּים֙ בְּאַלְמנֹותָ֔יו וְתַנִּ֖ים בְּהֵ֣יכְלֵי עֹ֑נֶג וְקָרֹ֤וב לָבֹוא֙ עִתָּ֔הּ וְיָמֶ֖יהָ לֹ֥א יִמָּשֵֽׁכוּ׃
And howlers shall answer in its palaces, and jackals in the halls of delight; and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.
Morphology
- וְעָנָה (ve-ʿanah) – Root: ענה (ʿanah); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular with vav; Translation: “and shall answer”; Notes: In poetic usage, refers to eerie howling or echoing calls.
- אִיִּים (ʾiyyim) – Root: אי (ʾi); Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “howlers” or “wild creatures”; Notes: Possibly wild beasts or mythological desert dwellers.
- בְּאַלְמנֹותָיו (be-almenotav) – Root: אלמן (ʾalman); Form: Preposition + noun feminine plural with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “in its palaces”; Notes: Here, a rare poetic form meaning “palatial ruins” or “desolate towers.”
- וְתַנִּים (ve-tannim) – Root: תן (tan); Form: Conjunction + noun masculine plural; Translation: “and jackals”; Notes: Carrion-eating animals that inhabit desolate places.
- בְּהֵיכְלֵי (be-heikhlei) – Root: היכל (heikhal); Form: Preposition + construct plural noun; Translation: “in the halls of”; Notes: Refers to ornate palaces or temples.
- עֹנֶג (ʿoneg) – Root: ענג (ʿanag); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “delight” or “luxury”; Notes: Once places of pleasure, now overtaken by wild animals.
- וְקָרֹוב (ve-qarov) – Root: קרב (qarav); Form: Conjunction + Qal participle masculine singular; Translation: “and near”; Notes: Describes the imminence of the event.
- לָבֹוא (la-vo) – Root: בוא (bo); Form: Preposition + infinitive construct; Translation: “to come”; Notes: Completes the participial phrase “near to come.”
- עִתָּהּ (ittah) – Root: עת (ʿet); Form: Noun feminine singular with 3rd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “her time”; Notes: Refers to the appointed time of judgment or downfall.
- וְיָמֶיהָ (ve-yameha) – Root: יום (yom); Form: Conjunction + noun masculine plural with 3rd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “and her days”; Notes: Refers to the duration of Babylon’s existence or power.
- לֹא יִמָּשֵׁכוּ (lo yimmashekhu) – Root: משך (mashakh); Form: Nifal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural with negative particle; Translation: “shall not be prolonged”; Notes: Denotes the certainty and swiftness of the approaching end.