כֹּ֤ה אָמַר֙ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָאֹ֔ות הִנְנִי֙ מְשַׁלֵּ֣חַ בָּ֔ם אֶת־הַחֶ֖רֶב אֶת־הָרָעָ֣ב וְאֶת־הַדָּ֑בֶר וְנָתַתִּ֣י אֹותָ֗ם כַּתְּאֵנִים֙ הַשֹּׁ֣עָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־תֵאָכַ֖לְנָה מֵרֹֽעַ׃
Thus says YHWH of Hosts: ‘Behold, I am sending against them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and I will make them like the rotten figs that cannot be eaten because of their badness.
Morphology
- כֹּ֤ה (koh) – Root: —; Form: Adverb; Translation: “thus”; Notes: Introduces the prophetic declaration.
- אָמַר֙ (amar) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “said”; Notes: Refers to YHWH as the speaker.
- יְהוָ֣ה (YHWH) – Root: —; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The covenant name of Israel’s God.
- צְבָאֹ֔ות (tzeva’ot) – Root: צבא (tsavaʾ); Form: Noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “of armies”; Notes: A divine title emphasizing military power and heavenly hosts.
- הִנְנִי֙ (hineni) – Root: הנה (hinneh); Form: Interjection + 1st person common singular suffix; Translation: “behold, I”; Notes: Signals emphasis and immediacy.
- מְשַׁלֵּ֣חַ (meshaleach) – Root: שלח (shalach); Form: Piel participle masculine singular; Translation: “sending”; Notes: Intensive aspect of dispatching, indicating deliberate divine action.
- בָּ֔ם (bam) – Root: ב (be); Form: Preposition + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “against them”; Notes: Marks the target of the sending.
- אֶת־הַחֶ֖רֶב (et-hacherev) – Root: חרב (cherev); Form: Definite direct object marker + noun feminine singular with article; Translation: “the sword”; Notes: Symbol of war and military destruction.
- אֶת־הָרָעָ֣ב (et-haraʿav) – Root: רעב (raʿav); Form: Definite direct object marker + noun masculine singular with article; Translation: “the famine”; Notes: Represents hunger as a form of judgment.
- וְאֶת־הַדָּ֑בֶר (ve-et-hadaver) – Root: דבר (dever); Form: Conjunction + definite direct object marker + noun masculine singular with article; Translation: “and the pestilence”; Notes: Indicates widespread disease as divine punishment.
- וְנָתַתִּ֣י (venatati) – Root: נתן (natan); Form: Qal perfect 1st person common singular with waw-consecutive; Translation: “and I will give/make”; Notes: Here meaning “appoint, make.”
- אֹותָ֗ם (otam) – Root: את (ʾet); Form: Direct object pronoun 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers back to the intended recipients of judgment.
- כַּתְּאֵנִים֙ (ka-teʾenim) – Root: תאנ (teʾen); Form: Preposition + noun feminine plural; Translation: “like the figs”; Notes: Comparison image in prophetic simile.
- הַשֹּׁ֣עָרִ֔ים (hashoʿarim) – Root: שׁער (shaʿar); Form: Qal passive participle masculine plural with article; Translation: “that are rotten”; Notes: Describes spoiled produce.
- אֲשֶׁ֥ר (asher) – Root: —; Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces the relative clause.
- לֹא־תֵאָכַ֖לְנָה (lo-teʾakhalnah) – Root: אכל (ʾakal); Form: Niphal imperfect 3rd person feminine plural with negative; Translation: “cannot be eaten”; Notes: Denotes impossibility due to condition.
- מֵרֹֽעַ (meroʿ) – Root: רע (raʿ); Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “because of badness”; Notes: Indicates the reason for being inedible.