Jeremiah 12:3

וְאַתָּ֤ה יְהוָה֙ יְדַעְתָּ֔נִי תִּרְאֵ֕נִי וּבָחַנְתָּ֥ לִבִּ֖י אִתָּ֑ךְ הַתִּקֵם֙ כְּצֹ֣אן לְטִבְחָ֔ה וְהַקְדִּשֵׁ֖ם לְיֹ֥ום הֲרֵגָֽה׃ ס

But You, YHWH, You know me, You see me, and You examine my heart with You. Drag them out like sheep for slaughter, and set them apart for the day of killing.

Morphology

1. וְאַתָּ֤ה (ve-attah) – Root: אתה; Form: Conjunction + independent pronoun 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “But You”; Notes: Emphatic contrast; introduces YHWH as the one who sees through the speaker’s inner being.
2. יְהוָה (YHWH) – Root: היה; Form: Proper divine name; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The one being directly addressed.
3. יְדַעְתָּנִי (yedaʿtani) – Root: ידע; Form: Qal perfect 2nd person masculine singular + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “You know me”; Notes: Indicates intimate and complete knowledge.
4. תִּרְאֵנִי (tirʾeni) – Root: ראה; Form: Qal imperfect 2nd person masculine singular + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “You see me”; Notes: Ongoing perception; YHWH’s continual observation.
5. וּבָחַנְתָּ (u-vaḥanta) – Root: בחן; Form: Qal perfect 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “and You have examined”; Notes: Introduces a forensic evaluation of the inner person.
6. לִבִּי (libbi) – Root: לבב; Form: Noun masculine singular + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “my heart”; Notes: Seat of thought and emotion in Hebrew anthropology.
7. אִתָּךְ (ittakh) – Root: את; Form: Preposition with 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “with You”; Notes: Possibly meaning “in Your presence” or “in communion with You.”
8. הַתִּקֵם (ha-ttiqem) – Root: תקע (or possibly קום in alternate parsing); Form: Hiphil imperfect 2nd person masculine singular with interrogative prefix; Translation: “Will You drag them out?”; Notes: Interrogative with causative nuance; verb’s root is debated (see textual variants).
9. כְּצֹאן (ke-tson) – Root: צאן; Form: Preposition כְּ + noun masculine singular in construct form; Translation: “like sheep”; Notes: Simile expressing vulnerability and destined fate.
10. לְטִבְחָה (le-tivḥah) – Root: טבח; Form: Preposition לְ + noun feminine singular; Translation: “for slaughter”; Notes: Indicates the purpose of their being led out.
11. וְהַקְדִּשֵׁם (ve-haqdiʾshem) – Root: קדש; Form: Hiphil imperative or perfect 2nd person masculine singular + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “and set them apart”; Notes: Possibly imperative or directive in tone—dedicate them to judgment.
12. לְיֹום (le-yom) – Root: יום; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “for a day”; Notes: Indicates future time of divine judgment.
13. הֲרֵגָה (haregah) – Root: הרג; Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “killing” / “slaughter”; Notes: Culmination of the judicial metaphor; divine retribution.