זָרְע֤וּ חִטִּים֙ וְקֹצִ֣ים קָצָ֔רוּ נֶחְל֖וּ לֹ֣א יֹועִ֑לוּ וּבֹ֨שׁוּ֙ מִתְּבוּאֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם מֵחֲרֹ֖ון אַף־יְהוָֽה׃ ס
They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns; they have worn themselves out, it does not profit. Be ashamed of your produce because of the burning anger of YHWH.”
Morphology
- זָרְע֤וּ (zarʿu) – Root: זרע; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they have sown”; Notes: Agricultural metaphor for effort or investment.
- חִטִּים (ḥittim) – Root: חטה; Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “wheat”; Notes: Symbol of good and expected produce.
- וְקֹצִים (ve-qotsim) – Root: קוץ; Form: Conjunction + noun masculine plural; Translation: “and thorns”; Notes: Contrasts with wheat—symbol of futility or divine judgment.
- קָצָרוּ (qatsaru) – Root: קצר; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they have reaped”; Notes: Unexpected negative result of their labor.
- נֶחְל֖וּ (neḥlu) – Root: חלל or possibly לאה; Form: Niphal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they have worn themselves out”; Notes: Passive form—emphasizes toil and exhaustion.
- לֹא (lo) – Root: לא; Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates the result of their effort.
- יֹועִלוּ (yoʿilu) – Root: יעל; Form: Hiphil imperfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they profit”; Notes: Hiphil causative—“to cause benefit”; here, the effort brings no gain.
- וּבֹשׁוּ (u-voshu) – Root: בוש; Form: Qal imperative masculine plural (or perfect with vav); Translation: “be ashamed” / “they shall be ashamed”; Notes: Possibly imperative or predictive; emotional consequence.
- מִתְּבוּאֹתֵיכֶם (mit-tevuʾoteikhem) – Root: תבוא; Form: Preposition + noun feminine plural construct + 2nd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “of your produce”; Notes: The fruit of their effort is cause for shame.
- מֵחֲרֹון (me-ḥaron) – Root: חרה; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “because of the burning of”; Notes: “Burning” used idiomatically for fierce anger.
- אַף־יְהוָה (af-YHWH) – Root: אף; Form: Noun masculine singular construct + proper divine name; Translation: “the anger of YHWH”; Notes: Expresses divine wrath as the ultimate cause of futility and judgment.