וְכִ֤י תֹאמְרִי֙ בִּלְבָבֵ֔ךְ מַדּ֖וּעַ קְרָאֻ֣נִי אֵ֑לֶּה בְּרֹ֧ב עֲוֹנֵ֛ךְ נִגְל֥וּ שׁוּלַ֖יִךְ נֶחְמְס֥וּ עֲקֵבָֽיִךְ׃
And if you say in your heart, ‘Why have these come upon me?’ Through the greatness of your iniquity your skirts have been uncovered, your heels have been violated.
Morphology
- וְכִ֤י (ve-ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction with prefix; Translation: “And if”; Notes: Introduces a conditional clause.
- תֹאמְרִי (toʾmri) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal imperfect 2nd person feminine singular; Translation: “you say”; Notes: Spoken to a feminine subject, expressing hypothetical speech.
- בִּלְבָבֵךְ (bilvavekh) – Root: לבב; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular in construct + 2nd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “in your heart”; Notes: Denotes internal reflection.
- מַדּוּעַ (madduaʿ) – Root: ידע; Form: Interrogative adverb; Translation: “Why”; Notes: Literally “what is known”; asks for cause.
- קְרָאֻנִי (qeraʾuni) – Root: קרא; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person plural + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “they have come upon me / they have called me”; Notes: Likely idiomatic for calamity befalling.
- אֵלֶּה (ʾelleh) – Root: אלה; Form: Demonstrative pronoun, common plural; Translation: “these”; Notes: Refers to misfortunes or judgments mentioned or implied.
- בְּרֹב (be-rov) – Root: רבב; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “through the greatness of”; Notes: Construct links to following noun “your iniquity.”
- עֲוֹנֵךְ (ʿavonek) – Root: עון; Form: Noun masculine singular construct + 2nd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “your iniquity”; Notes: Common prophetic term for guilt or wrongdoing.
- נִגְלוּ (niglu) – Root: גלה; Form: Niphal perfect 3rd person plural; Translation: “have been uncovered”; Notes: Niphal passive voice; connotes shame or exposure.
- שׁוּלַיִךְ (shulayikh) – Root: שׁול; Form: Noun masculine dual + 2nd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “your skirts”; Notes: Symbolic of modesty; exposure = disgrace.
- נֶחְמְסוּ (neḥmesu) – Root: חמס; Form: Niphal perfect 3rd person plural; Translation: “have been violated / assaulted”; Notes: From a rare passive form with connotation of injustice or violence.
- עֲקֵבָיִךְ (ʿaqevayikh) – Root: עקב; Form: Noun masculine dual + 2nd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “your heels”; Notes: May symbolize vulnerability or end of the body—complete exposure.