לָכֵ֞ן כֹּֽה־אָמַ֨ר יְהוָ֤ה צְבָאֹות֙ עַל־הַנְּבִאִ֔ים הִנְנִ֨י מַאֲכִ֤יל אֹותָם֙ לַֽעֲנָ֔ה וְהִשְׁקִתִ֖ים מֵי־רֹ֑אשׁ כִּ֗י מֵאֵת֙ נְבִיאֵ֣י יְרוּשָׁלִַ֔ם יָצְאָ֥ה חֲנֻפָּ֖ה לְכָל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ פ
Therefore thus said YHWH of Hosts concerning the prophets: “Behold, I am feeding them wormwood and making them drink poisoned water, for from the prophets of Yerushalayim profaneness has gone out into all the land.”
Morphology
- לָכֵן (lakhen) – Root: כן; Form: Adverb; Translation: “Therefore”; Notes: Introduces a consequence or judgment.
- כֹּה (koh) – Root: כה; Form: Adverb; Translation: “Thus”; Notes: Prophetic formula introducing divine speech.
- אָמַר (ʾamar) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “said”; Notes: Refers to YHWH’s declaration.
- יְהוָה צְבָאֹות (YHWH Tsevaʾot) – Root: יהוה + צבא; Form: Proper noun + plural noun in construct; Translation: “YHWH of Hosts”; Notes: Title emphasizing divine authority and heavenly armies.
- עַל־הַנְּבִאִים (ʿal-ha-neviʾim) – Root: נבא; Form: Preposition + definite plural noun; Translation: “concerning the prophets”; Notes: Direct object of divine judgment.
- הִנְנִי (hineni) – Root: הנה; Form: Interjection + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “Behold, I”; Notes: Expresses immediate divine intent.
- מַאֲכִיל (maʾakhil) – Root: אכל; Form: Hiphil participle masculine singular; Translation: “feeding”; Notes: Causative of “eat,” used figuratively of punishment.
- אֹותָם (otam) – Root: את; Form: Accusative pronoun 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the false prophets.
- לַעֲנָה (laʿanah) – Root: לענה; Form: Noun feminine singular with preposition; Translation: “wormwood”; Notes: Bitter herb symbolic of sorrow and judgment.
- וְהִשְׁקִתִים (ve-hishqitim) – Root: שׁקה; Form: Hiphil perfect 1st person singular + 3rd person masculine plural suffix with conjunction; Translation: “and I will make them drink”; Notes: Another figurative act of divine punishment.
- מֵי־רֹאשׁ (mei-roʾsh) – Root: רֹאשׁ; Form: Construct noun masculine plural + noun masculine singular; Translation: “poisoned water”; Notes: “Roʾsh” signifies a bitter or toxic plant; imagery of wrath.
- כִּי (ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “For”; Notes: Introduces the reason for the punishment.
- מֵאֵת (meʾet) – Root: את; Form: Preposition + noun; Translation: “from”; Notes: Denotes source or origin.
- נְבִיאֵי (neviʾei) – Root: נבא; Form: Construct plural masculine noun; Translation: “prophets of”; Notes: In construct with “Yerushalayim.”
- יְרוּשָׁלִַם (Yerushalayim) – Root: שלם; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yerushalayim”; Notes: Capital of Yisraʾel, source of corrupt prophetic influence here.
- יָצְאָה (yatsʾah) – Root: יצא; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “has gone out”; Notes: Refers to moral contamination spreading.
- חֲנֻפָּה (ḥanufah) – Root: חנף; Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “profaneness” or “hypocrisy”; Notes: Refers to religious corruption or flattery.
- לְכָל־הָאָרֶץ (le-kol ha-aretz) – Root: כל + ארץ; Form: Preposition + noun construct + definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “to all the land”; Notes: Indicates the widespread impact of the prophetic corruption.
- פ (peh) – Form: Masoretic section break (פְּתוּחָה); Translation: [open paragraph]; Notes: Denotes a stronger textual division than ס.