עַד־מָתַי֙ תֶּאֱבַ֣ל הָאָ֔רֶץ וְעֵ֥שֶׂב כָּל־הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה יִיבָ֑שׁ מֵרָעַ֣ת יֹֽשְׁבֵי־בָ֗הּ סָפְתָ֤ה בְהֵמֹות֙ וָעֹ֔וף כִּ֣י אָמְר֔וּ לֹ֥א יִרְאֶ֖ה אֶת־אַחֲרִיתֵֽנוּ׃
Until when shall the land mourn and the grass of every field dry up? Because of the evil of those who dwell in it, beasts and bird are swept away, for they said, “He shall not see our latter end.”
Morphology
- עַד־מָתַי (ʿad-matai) – Root: מתי; Form: Prepositional phrase; Translation: “Until when”; Notes: Expresses lament and impatience over prolonged suffering.
- תֶּאֱבַל (teʾeval) – Root: אבל; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “shall mourn”; Notes: Feminine subject refers to “the land.”
- הָאָרֶץ (ha-aretz) – Root: ארץ; Form: Definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “the land”; Notes: Subject of the mourning; personified as grieving creation.
- וְעֵשֶׂב (ve-ʿesev) – Root: עשׂב; Form: Conjunction + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and the grass”; Notes: Coordinated with the previous clause.
- כָּל־הַשָּׂדֶה (kol-ha-sadeh) – Root: שׂדה; Form: Construct noun + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “of every field”; Notes: Construct phrase modifying “grass.”
- יִיבָשׁ (yibash) – Root: יבשׁ; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “shall dry up”; Notes: Continuation of the lament over environmental desolation.
- מֵרָעַת (me-raʿat) – Root: רעה; Form: Preposition מִן + noun feminine singular construct; Translation: “because of the evil”; Notes: Introduces the cause of the devastation.
- יֹשְׁבֵי־בָהּ (yoshevei-vah) – Root: ישׁב; Form: Qal active participle masculine plural construct + preposition with feminine singular suffix; Translation: “those who dwell in it”; Notes: Refers to the inhabitants of the land whose wickedness affects all creation.
- סָפְתָה (saftah) – Root: ספה; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “is swept away”; Notes: Feminine singular verb with collective subject “beasts and birds.”
- בְהֵמוֹת (veheymot) – Root: בהמה; Form: Noun feminine plural; Translation: “beasts”; Notes: Represents land animals collectively.
- וָעוֹף (va-ʿof) – Root: עוף; Form: Conjunction + noun masculine singular collective; Translation: “and bird”; Notes: Paired with “beasts” as part of the natural world impacted by human sin.
- כִּי (ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for”; Notes: Introduces the underlying reason or claim made by the wicked.
- אָמְרוּ (amru) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they said”; Notes: Refers to the cynical statement of the wicked.
- לֹא (lo) – Root: לא; Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates the following verb.
- יִרְאֶה (yirʾeh) – Root: ראה; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “he shall see”; Notes: Likely referring to YHWH or divine judgment.
- אֶת־אַחֲרִיתֵנוּ (et-aḥariteinu) – Root: אחר; Form: Direct object marker + noun feminine singular with 1st person plural suffix; Translation: “our latter end”; Notes: Expression of unbelief in future judgment or consequences.