כִּ֚י מִסְפַּ֣ר עָרֶ֔יךָ הָי֥וּ אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ יְהוּדָ֑ה וּמִסְפַּ֞ר חֻצֹ֣ות יְרוּשָׁלִַ֗ם שַׂמְתֶּ֤ם מִזְבְּחֹות֙ לַבֹּ֔שֶׁת מִזְבְּחֹ֖ות לְקַטֵּ֥ר לַבָּֽעַל׃ ס
For as numerous as your cities were your gods, O Yehuda, and as numerous as the streets of Yerushalayim you have set up altars to the shame, altars to burn incense to the Baʿal.
Morphology
- כִּי (ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “For”; Notes: Introduces a reason or explanation.
- מִסְפַּר (mispar) – Root: ספר; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “number”; Notes: Indicates numerical comparison.
- עָרֶיךָ (ʿarekha) – Root: עיר; Form: Plural noun with 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “your cities”; Notes: Addressed to Yehudah collectively.
- הָיוּ (hayu) – Root: היה; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “were”; Notes: Equative verb showing identity between cities and gods.
- אֱלֹהֶיךָ (ʾelohekha) – Root: אלה; Form: Noun plural with 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “your gods”; Notes: Implies idolatry, a god for every city.
- יְהוּדָה (Yehudah) – Root: יהודה; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yehudah”; Notes: Vocative, addressed directly.
- וּמִסְפַּר (u-mispar) – Root: ספר; Form: Conjunction + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and as numerous as”; Notes: Continues numerical parallelism.
- חֻצֹות (ḥutsot) – Root: חוץ; Form: Noun plural feminine; Translation: “streets”; Notes: Refers to public open spaces in Yerushalayim.
- יְרוּשָׁלִַם (Yerushalayim) – Root: ירושלם; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yerushalayim”; Notes: Capital city of Yehudah.
- שַׂמְתֶּם (samtem) – Root: שׂים; Form: Qal perfect 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “you have set up”; Notes: Refers to establishing unauthorized worship structures.
- מִזְבְּחֹות (mizbeḥot) – Root: זבח; Form: Plural noun masculine; Translation: “altars”; Notes: Religious sites for sacrifice or incense burning.
- לַבֹּשֶׁת (la-boshet) – Root: בושׁ; Form: Preposition + noun feminine singular with article; Translation: “to the shame”; Notes: Derogatory term for idolatry, possibly a euphemism for Baʿal.
- מִזְבְּחֹות (mizbeḥot) – Root: זבח; Form: Noun plural masculine (repeated); Translation: “altars”; Notes: Repetition emphasizes the scale of apostasy.
- לְקַטֵּר (leqatter) – Root: קטר; Form: Piel infinitive construct with לְ prefix; Translation: “to burn incense”; Notes: Describes an act of worship often condemned when directed to idols.
- לַבָּעַל (la-Baʿal) – Root: בעל; Form: Preposition + proper noun with article; Translation: “to the Baʿal”; Notes: Canaanite storm god, symbol of apostasy in biblical theology.