מִ֤י הֵעִיר֙ מִמִּזְרָ֔ח צֶ֖דֶק יִקְרָאֵ֣הוּ לְרַגְלֹ֑ו יִתֵּ֨ן לְפָנָ֤יו גֹּויִם֙ וּמְלָכִ֣ים יַ֔רְדְּ יִתֵּ֤ן כֶּֽעָפָר֙ חַרְבֹּ֔ו כְּקַ֥שׁ נִדָּ֖ף קַשְׁתֹּֽו׃
Who has stirred up from the east one in righteousness? He calls him to His feet. He gives nations before him and makes kings submit. He makes his sword like dust, his bow like driven stubble.
Morphology
- מִ֤י (mi) – Root: מי; Form: Interrogative pronoun; Translation: “Who?”; Notes: Introduces a rhetorical question.
- הֵעִיר֙ (heʿir) – Root: עור; Form: Hifil perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “has stirred up”; Notes: Refers to arousing or prompting someone to action.
- מִמִּזְרָ֔ח (mi-mizraḥ) – Root: זרח; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “from the east”; Notes: Denotes origin or geographic direction.
- צֶ֖דֶק (tṣedeq) – Root: צדק; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “righteousness” or “justice”; Notes: May refer to righteous cause or a righteous person.
- יִקְרָאֵ֣הוּ (yiqraʾehu) – Root: קרא; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular + 3rd masculine singular suffix; Translation: “He calls him”; Notes: Possibly God calling the righteous figure.
- לְרַגְלֹ֑ו (le-raglav) – Root: רגל; Form: Preposition + noun feminine plural + 3rd masculine singular suffix; Translation: “to his feet”; Notes: Denotes subservience or being summoned to serve.
- יִתֵּן (yitten) – Root: נתן; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “He gives”; Notes: Subject is likely God, the one empowering the agent.
- לְפָנָ֤יו (lefanav) – Root: פנה; Form: Preposition + noun masculine plural (dual form) + 3rd masculine singular suffix; Translation: “before him”; Notes: Indicates divine provision or precedence.
- גֹּויִם֙ (goyim) – Root: גוי; Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “nations”; Notes: Often refers to Gentile nations.
- וּמְלָכִ֣ים (u-melakhim) – Root: מלך; Form: Conjunction + noun masculine plural; Translation: “and kings”; Notes: Objects of submission to the agent of YHWH.
- יַ֔רְדְּ (yard) – Root: רדה; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular (spelled defectively); Translation: “he subdues” or “brings down”; Notes: Possibly short or poetic form of יִרְדֵּם.
- יִתֵּ֤ן (yitten) – Root: נתן; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “He gives”; Notes: Repeated verb for parallel structure.
- כֶּֽעָפָר֙ (ke-ʿafar) – Root: עפר; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “like dust”; Notes: Simile conveying weakness or destruction.
- חַרְבֹּ֔ו (ḥarbō) – Root: חרב; Form: Noun feminine singular + 3rd masculine singular suffix; Translation: “his sword”; Notes: Metonym for military power.
- כְּקַ֥שׁ (ke-qash) – Root: קשׁ; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “like stubble”; Notes: Another simile for weakness or lightness.
- נִדָּ֖ף (niddaf) – Root: נדף; Form: Nifal participle masculine singular; Translation: “driven”; Notes: Describes something blown away by wind.
- קַשְׁתֹּֽו׃ (qashtō) – Root: קשת; Form: Noun feminine singular + 3rd masculine singular suffix; Translation: “his bow”; Notes: Paired with sword to complete the imagery of warfare.