אֹמְרִ֨ים לָעֵ֜ץ אָ֣בִי אַ֗תָּה וְלָאֶ֨בֶן֙ אַ֣תְּ יְלַדְתָּ֔נִי כִּֽי־פָנ֥וּ אֵלַ֛י עֹ֖רֶף וְלֹ֣א פָנִ֑ים וּבְעֵ֤ת רָֽעָתָם֙ יֹֽאמְר֔וּ ק֖וּמָה וְהֹושִׁיעֵֽנוּ׃
they say to the tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to the stone, ‘You gave birth to me.’ For they have turned to me the back and not the face, but in the time of their trouble they will say, ‘Arise and save us.’
Morphology
- אֹמְרִ֨ים (ʾomrim) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal participle masculine plural; Translation: “They say”; Notes: Describes an ongoing or habitual action.
- לָעֵ֜ץ (la-ʿets) – Root: עץ (ʿets); Form: Preposition לְ + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “to the tree”; Notes: Object of idolatrous speech.
- אָ֣בִי (avi) – Root: אב (av); Form: Noun masculine singular with 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “my father”; Notes: Expresses false filial relationship with an idol.
- אַ֗תָּה (attah) – Root: אתה (attah); Form: Independent pronoun masculine singular; Translation: “you”; Notes: Addressing the tree as male parent.
- וְלָאֶ֨בֶן (ve-laʾeven) – Root: אבן (ʾeven); Form: Conjunction וְ + preposition לְ + definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “and to the stone”; Notes: Another object of false devotion.
- אַ֣תְּ (att) – Root: את (att); Form: Independent pronoun feminine singular; Translation: “you”; Notes: Addressing the stone in feminine form.
- יְלַדְתָּ֔נִי (yeladtani) – Root: ילד (yalad); Form: Qal perfect 2nd person masculine singular + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “you gave birth to me”; Notes: Emphasizes distorted dependence on inanimate objects.
- כִּֽי־ (ki) – Root: כי (ki); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “For”; Notes: Introduces the reason for the previous claim.
- פָנ֥וּ (panu) – Root: פנה (panah); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they have turned”; Notes: Sets up contrast between rejection and supplication.
- אֵלַ֛י (elai) – Root: אל (ʾel); Form: Preposition + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Refers to YHWH as the rejected party.
- עֹ֖רֶף (ʿoref) – Root: ערף (ʿoref); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “the back of the neck”; Notes: Symbolizes rejection, as opposed to facing someone.
- וְלֹ֣א (ve-lo) – Root: לא (lo); Form: Conjunction + negative particle; Translation: “and not”; Notes: Contrastive negation.
- פָנִ֑ים (panim) – Root: פנים (panim); Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “face”; Notes: Turning the back instead of the face implies rejection of YHWH.
- וּבְעֵ֤ת (u-veʿet) – Root: עת (ʿet); Form: Conjunction וּ + preposition בְּ + noun feminine singular; Translation: “but in the time of”; Notes: Shifts to conditional situation of crisis.
- רָֽעָתָם֙ (raʿatam) – Root: רעע (raʿaʿ); Form: Noun feminine singular with 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “their trouble”; Notes: Refers to adversity or disaster that prompts repentance.
- יֹֽאמְר֔וּ (yoʾmru) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they will say”; Notes: Future plea after prior rejection.
- ק֖וּמָה (qumah) – Root: קום (qum); Form: Qal imperative masculine singular with paragogic heh; Translation: “Arise”; Notes: Urgent plea directed to YHWH.
- וְהֹושִׁיעֵֽנוּ (ve-hoshiʿenu) – Root: ישׁע (yashaʿ); Form: Hifil imperative masculine singular + 1st person plural suffix; Translation: “and save us”; Notes: Causative plea for deliverance after forsaking YHWH.