Isaiah 50:3

אַלְבִּ֥ישׁ שָׁמַ֖יִם קַדְר֑וּת וְשַׂ֖ק אָשִׂ֥ים כְּסוּתָֽם׃ ס

I clothe the heavens with blackness, and sackcloth I set as their covering.”

Morphology

1. אַלְבִּ֥ישׁ (albish) – Root: לבשׁ (lavash); Form: Hifil imperfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I clothe”; Notes: The speaker, likely YHWH, performs the action. Hifil here expresses causative force—“I cause to wear.”
2. שָׁמַ֖יִם (shamayim) – Root: שׁמים (shamayim); Form: Noun masculine plural absolute; Translation: “the heavens”; Notes: Plural in form but often singular in meaning in context; the direct object of the verb “I clothe.”
3. קַדְר֑וּת (qadrut) – Root: קדר (qadar); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “blackness”; Notes: Indicates gloom, darkness, often symbolic of judgment or mourning.
4. וְשַׂ֖ק (ve-saq) – Root: שׂק (saq); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and sackcloth”; Notes: Traditional garment for mourning or affliction; used metaphorically here.
5. אָשִׂ֥ים (asim) – Root: שׂים (sim); Form: Qal imperfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I set”; Notes: Parallel to “I clothe”; indicates divine action. Qal form retains a simple active meaning.
6. כְּסוּתָֽם (kesutam) – Root: כסה (kasah); Form: Noun feminine singular with 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “their covering”; Notes: Refers to the heavens; indicates what they are clothed with. The suffix refers back to “heavens” as a collective plural.