Jonah 2:9 (Jonah 2:8)

מְשַׁמְּרִ֖ים הַבְלֵי־שָׁ֑וְא חַסְדָּ֖ם יַעֲזֹֽבוּ׃

Those who keep vain idols forsake their loyalty.

Morphology

1. מְשַׁמְּרִים (meshammerim) – Root: שׁמר (shamar); Form: Piel participle masculine plural; Translation: “those who keep / those who hold to”; Notes: Refers to adherents clinging to something worthless.
2. הַבְלֵי (havlei) – Root: הבל (hevel); Form: Definite noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “vanities of”; Notes: Often refers to idols, emptiness, or worthless things.
3. שָׁוְא (shav) – Root: שׁוא (shav); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “emptiness / falsehood”; Notes: Reinforces the meaning of futility and worthlessness.
4. חַסְדָּם (chasdam) – Root: חסד (chesed); Form: Noun masculine singular + suffix 3mp; Translation: “their kindness / their loyalty”; Notes: Indicates covenantal loyalty they abandon by turning to empty things.
5. יַעֲזֹבוּ (yaʿazovu) – Root: עזב (azav); Form: Qal imperfect 3mp; Translation: “they forsake”; Notes: Depicts the inevitable consequence of clinging to vanity—they abandon true loyalty.