מְמֹותֵ֨י תַחֲלֻאִ֜ים יָמֻ֗תוּ לֹ֤א יִסָּֽפְדוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א יִקָּבֵ֔רוּ לְדֹ֛מֶן עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הָאֲדָמָ֖ה יִֽהְי֑וּ וּבַחֶ֤רֶב וּבָֽרָעָב֙ יִכְל֔וּ וְהָיְתָ֤ה נִבְלָתָם֙ לְמַאֲכָ֔ל לְעֹ֥וף הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וּלְבֶהֱמַ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃ ס
“With deaths of diseases they shall die; they shall not be lamented, nor shall they be buried; they shall be as dung upon the face of the ground. By the sword and by famine they shall be consumed, and their carcasses shall be food for the birds of the heavens and for the beasts of the earth.”
Morphology
- מְמֹותֵי (memotei) – Root: מות (mut); Form: Noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “deaths of”; Notes: Plural emphasizing multiplicity or severity of deaths.
- תַחֲלֻאִים (taḥaluʾim) – Root: חלא (ḥalaʾ); Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “diseases”; Notes: Refers to afflictions or plagues.
- יָמֻתוּ (yamutu) – Root: מות (mut); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they shall die”; Notes: Predicts their end by illness.
- לֹא (lo) – Root: לא (lo); Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Introduces negation.
- יִסָּפְדוּ (yissafdu) – Root: ספד (safad); Form: Nifal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they shall be lamented”; Notes: Passive/reflexive of mourning ritual.
- וְלֹא (ve-lo) – Root: לא (lo); Form: Conjunction + negative particle; Translation: “and not”; Notes: Continues the negated clause.
- יִקָּבֵרוּ (yiqqaveru) – Root: קבר (qavar); Form: Nifal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they shall be buried”; Notes: Passive form; denied proper burial.
- לְדֹמֶן (le-domen) – Root: דמן (domen); Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “as dung”; Notes: Symbol of filth or worthlessness.
- עַל־פְּנֵי (ʿal-penei) – Root: פן (panim); Form: Preposition + construct noun plural; Translation: “upon the face of”; Notes: Idiom for “on the surface of.”
- הָאֲדָמָה (ha-adamah) – Root: אדמה (ʾadamah); Form: Definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “the ground”; Notes: Earth or soil, often linked with death and burial.
- יִהְיוּ (yihyu) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they shall be”; Notes: Indicates their postmortem state.
- וּבַחֶרֶב (u-va-ḥerev) – Root: חרב (ḥerev); Form: Conjunction + preposition + noun feminine singular; Translation: “and by the sword”; Notes: Instrument of violent death.
- וּבָרָעָב (u-va-raʿav) – Root: רעב (raʿav); Form: Conjunction + preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and by famine”; Notes: Another means of divine judgment.
- יִכְלוּ (yikhelu) – Root: כלה (kalah); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they shall be consumed”; Notes: Refers to perishing or being brought to an end.
- וְהָיְתָה (ve-hayetah) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person feminine singular with vav-consecutive; Translation: “and shall be”; Notes: Refers to the fate of their corpses.
- נִבְלָתָם (nivlatam) – Root: נבל (naval); Form: Noun feminine singular + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “their carcass”; Notes: Dead body, often disgraceful in tone.
- לְמַאֲכָל (le-maʾakhal) – Root: אכל (ʾakhal); Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “for food”; Notes: Designates purpose or result.
- לְעֹוף (le-ʿof) – Root: עוף (ʿof); Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “for the bird”; Notes: Scavengers, often seen in judgment imagery.
- הַשָּׁמַיִם (ha-shamayim) – Root: שמים (shamayim); Form: Definite noun masculine plural; Translation: “of the heavens”; Notes: Specifies the birds as those of the sky.
- וּלְבֶהֱמַת (u-le-vehe̱mat) – Root: בהמה (behemah); Form: Conjunction + preposition + noun feminine singular construct; Translation: “and for the beast of”; Notes: Refers to wild or domestic animals.
- הָאָרֶץ (ha-aretz) – Root: ארץ (ʾaretz); Form: Definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “the earth”; Notes: Indicates the full exposure of the bodies to the wild.