הִנֵּ֨ה הָי֤וּ כְקַשׁ֙ אֵ֣שׁ שְׂרָפָ֔תַם לֹֽא־יַצִּ֥ילוּ אֶת־נַפְשָׁ֖ם מִיַּ֣ד לֶֽהָבָ֑ה אֵין־גַּחֶ֣לֶת לַחְמָ֔ם א֖וּר לָשֶׁ֥בֶת נֶגְדֹּֽו׃
Behold, they have become like stubble; fire burns them; they shall not deliver their soul from the hand of the flame; there is no coal to warm them, no fire to sit before it.
Morphology
- הִנֵּה (hinneh) – Root: הנה (hinneh); Form: Interjection; Translation: “Behold”; Notes: Introduces a declaration or dramatic observation.
- הָיוּ (hayu) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person plural; Translation: “they have become”; Notes: Refers to Babylon’s astrologers or counselors.
- כְקַשׁ (ke-qash) – Root: קשׁ (qash); Form: Preposition כְּ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “like stubble”; Notes: Stubble easily consumed by fire; metaphor for fragility.
- אֵשׁ (esh) – Root: אשׁ (ʾesh); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “fire”; Notes: Subject of the next verb — the consuming force.
- שְׂרָפָתַם (serafatam) – Root: שׂרף (saraf); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person feminine singular with 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “burns them”; Notes: Feminine verb matching “fire” as subject; plural suffix refers to the men.
- לֹא־יַצִּילוּ (lo-yatsilu) – Root: נצל (natsal); Form: Hiphil imperfect 3rd person masculine plural with negative particle; Translation: “they shall not deliver”; Notes: Causative stem, indicating inability to save.
- אֶת־נַפְשָׁם (et-nafsham) – Root: נפשׁ (nefesh); Form: Direct object marker + noun feminine singular + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “their soul”; Notes: Refers to their lives or beings.
- מִיַּד (mi-yad) – Root: יד (yad); Form: Preposition מִן + noun feminine singular; Translation: “from the hand of”; Notes: Expresses danger or power.
- לֶהָבָה (lehavah) – Root: להב (lahav); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “flame”; Notes: Intense, destructive fire.
- אֵין (ein) – Root: אין (ein); Form: Negative existential particle; Translation: “there is no”; Notes: Denies the presence of what follows.
- גַּחֶלֶת (gaḥelet) – Root: גחל (gaḥal); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “coal”; Notes: Singular coal, suggesting lack of warmth or usefulness.
- לַחְמָם (laḥmam) – Root: חמם (ḥamam); Form: Infinitive construct with preposition לְ + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “to warm them”; Notes: No warming effect remains.
- אוּר (ur) – Root: אור (ʾur); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “fire”; Notes: Second term for fire, poetic variation or emphasis.
- לָשֶׁבֶת (la-shevet) – Root: ישׁב (yashav); Form: Infinitive construct with preposition לְ; Translation: “to sit”; Notes: No fire remains to gather around.
- נֶגְדּוֹ (negedo) – Root: נגד (neged); Form: Preposition + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “before it”; Notes: Refers to fire that no longer exists.