וְהָיָ֣ה כִמְלֹ֣אות שִׁבְעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֡ה אֶפְקֹ֣ד עַל־מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶל֩ וְעַל־הַגֹּ֨וי הַה֧וּא נְאֻם־יְהוָ֛ה אֶת־עֲוֹנָ֖ם וְעַל־אֶ֣רֶץ כַּשְׂדִּ֑ים וְשַׂמְתִּ֥י אֹתֹ֖ו לְשִֽׁמְמֹ֥ות עֹולָֽם׃
And it shall be, when seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Bavel and that nation,’ declares YHWH, ‘their iniquity, and the land of the Kasdim, and I will make it desolate forever.
Morphology
- וְהָיָה (ve-hayah) – Root: היה; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular with vav-consecutive; Translation: “and it shall be”; Notes: Marks the beginning of a prophetic result clause.
- כִמְלֹאות (kimloʾot) – Root: מלא; Form: Preposition כְּ + infinitive construct with feminine plural ending; Translation: “when are fulfilled”; Notes: Temporal clause referring to the completion of a period.
- שִׁבְעִים (shivʿim) – Root: שבע; Form: Cardinal number, masculine plural; Translation: “seventy”; Notes: Refers to the duration of Babylonian domination.
- שָׁנָה (shanah) – Root: שנה; Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “years”; Notes: Completes the time expression “seventy years.”
- אֶפְקֹד (efqod) – Root: פקד; Form: Qal imperfect 1st person singular; Translation: “I will punish”; Notes: Here “visit” in the sense of judgment or reckoning.
- עַל־מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל (ʿal-melekh-Bavel) – Root: מלך / בבל; Form: Preposition + construct noun + proper noun; Translation: “upon the king of Bavel”; Notes: Refers to Babylon’s ruler, previously described as YHWH’s instrument.
- וְעַל־הַגֹּוי (ve-ʿal-ha-goy) – Root: גוי; Form: Conjunction + preposition + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “and upon the nation”; Notes: Babylon as a political and ethnic entity.
- הַהוּא (ha-hu) – Root: הוא; Form: Demonstrative pronoun masculine singular; Translation: “that”; Notes: Emphasizes specific nation being judged.
- נְאֻם־יְהוָה (neʾum-YHWH) – Root: נאם; Form: Construct noun + Divine Name; Translation: “declares YHWH”; Notes: Formal divine oracle formula.
- אֶת־עֲוֹנָם (et-ʿavonam) – Root: עון; Form: Direct object marker + noun masculine singular with 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “their iniquity”; Notes: Object of divine punishment.
- וְעַל־אֶרֶץ (ve-ʿal-ʾerets) – Root: ארץ; Form: Conjunction + preposition + noun feminine singular; Translation: “and upon the land of”; Notes: Expands judgment to geographical territory.
- כַּשְׂדִּים (Kasdim) – Root: Proper noun; Form: Proper name, masculine plural; Translation: “the Kasdim”; Notes: Refers to the Chaldeans, dominant people of Babylon.
- וְשַׂמְתִּי (ve-samti) – Root: שׂים; Form: Qal perfect 1st person singular with vav-consecutive; Translation: “and I will make”; Notes: Expresses purposeful transformation.
- אֹתֹו (oto) – Root: את; Form: Direct object marker + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers to Babylon or its land.
- לְשִׁמְמֹות (le-shimmot) – Root: שׁמם; Form: Preposition + plural noun feminine; Translation: “to desolations”; Notes: Indicates irreversible devastation.
- עֹולָם (ʿolam) – Root: עלם; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “forever” or “eternity”; Notes: Describes the lasting nature of the desolation.