כִּֽי־עָר֤וּךְ מֵֽאֶתְמוּל֙ תָּפְתֶּ֔ה גַּם־הוּא לַמֶּ֥לֶךְ הוּכָ֖ן הֶעְמִ֣יק הִרְחִ֑יב מְדֻרָתָ֗הּ אֵ֤שׁ וְעֵצִים֙ הַרְבֵּ֔ה נִשְׁמַ֤ת יְהוָה֙ כְּנַ֣חַל גָּפְרִ֔ית בֹּעֲרָ֖ה בָּֽהּ׃ ס
For Tofteh has been prepared of old, indeed, it is ready for the king. He has made deep, he has widened her pyre; fire and much wood. The breath of YHWH, like a stream of brimstone, sets it ablaze in her.
Morphology
- כִּֽי־ (ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “For”; Notes: Introduces a cause or explanation.
- עָר֤וּךְ (ʿarukh) – Root: ערך; Form: Qal passive participle masculine singular; Translation: “has been prepared”; Notes: Describes a past completed arrangement.
- מֵֽאֶתְמוּל֙ (meʾetmol) – Root: אתמול; Form: Adverb with preposition; Translation: “of old” or “from yesterday”; Notes: Indicates past time, idiomatic for “long ago.”
- תָּפְתֶּ֔ה (Tofteh) – Root: תפת; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Tofteh”; Notes: A location associated with judgment and burning, likely Gehenna.
- גַּם־הוּא (gam-hu) – Root: גם, הוא; Form: Conjunction + pronoun; Translation: “also it” or “indeed it”; Notes: Emphasizes what follows.
- לַמֶּ֥לֶךְ (la-melekh) – Root: מלך; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “for the king”; Notes: Could allude to a specific ruler destined for judgment.
- הוּכָ֖ן (hukhan) – Root: כון; Form: Hofal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “it is prepared”; Notes: Passive causative indicating divine arrangement.
- הֶעְמִ֣יק (heʿmiq) – Root: עמק; Form: Hifil perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “He made deep”; Notes: Intensifies the preparation of the pit.
- הִרְחִ֑יב (hirḥiv) – Root: רחב; Form: Hifil perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “He widened”; Notes: Indicates deliberate expansion.
- מְדֻרָתָ֗הּ (meduratāh) – Root: דור; Form: Noun feminine singular + 3rd person feminine suffix; Translation: “her pyre”; Notes: Refers to the fire-bed prepared for burning.
- אֵ֤שׁ (ʾesh) – Root: אשׁ; Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “fire”; Notes: Core image of judgment.
- וְעֵצִים֙ (ve-ʿetsim) – Root: עץ; Form: Conjunction + noun masculine plural; Translation: “and wood”; Notes: Fuel for the burning.
- הַרְבֵּ֔ה (harbeh) – Root: רבה; Form: Adverb; Translation: “much”; Notes: Emphasizes the abundance of fuel.
- נִשְׁמַ֤ת (nishmat) – Root: נשׁם; Form: Construct noun feminine singular; Translation: “breath of”; Notes: Paired in construct with YHWH.
- יְהוָה֙ (YHWH) – Root: הוה; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The Tetragrammaton.
- כְּנַ֣חַל (ke-naḥal) – Root: נחל; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “like a stream”; Notes: Simile showing unstoppable flow.
- גָּפְרִ֔ית (gofrit) – Root: גפרית; Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “brimstone”; Notes: Symbol of divine judgment.
- בֹּעֲרָ֖ה (boʿarah) – Root: בער; Form: Qal active participle feminine singular; Translation: “burning”; Notes: Describes the continuous flaming action.
- בָּֽהּ׃ (bah) – Root: ב; Form: Preposition + 3rd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “in her”; Notes: Refers to Tofteh.