וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֵלַ֗י בִּימֵי֙ יֹאשִׁיָּ֣הוּ הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ הֲֽרָאִ֔יתָ אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשְׂתָ֖ה מְשֻׁבָ֣ה יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל הֹלְכָ֨ה הִ֜יא עַל־כָּל־הַ֣ר גָּבֹ֗הַּ וְאֶל־תַּ֛חַת כָּל־עֵ֥ץ רַעֲנָ֖ן וַתִּזְנִי־שָֽׁם׃
And YHWH said to me in the days of Yoshiyahu the king, “Have you seen what backsliding Yisraʾel has done? She goes on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there she prostitutes herself.
Morphology
- וַיֹּ֨אמֶר (va-yomer) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And He said”; Notes: Narrative form introducing divine speech.
- יְהוָ֜ה (YHWH) – Root: הוה (havah); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The personal name of the God of Yisraʾel.
- אֵלַ֗י (elai) – Root: אל (ʾel); Form: Preposition + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Indicates direction of divine address to the prophet.
- בִּימֵי֙ (bi-yemei) – Root: יום (yom); Form: Preposition + plural construct noun; Translation: “in the days of”; Notes: Temporal phrase indicating historical setting.
- יֹאשִׁיָּ֣הוּ (Yoshiyahu) – Root: אשה/ישׁע (Yoshiyahu); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yoshiyahu”; Notes: Refers to King Josiah of Yehudah.
- הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ (ha-melekh) – Root: מלך (melekh); Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the king”; Notes: Appositional to Yoshiyahu, clarifying his role.
- הֲרָאִ֔יתָ (haraʾita) – Root: ראה (raʾah); Form: Qal perfect 2nd person masculine singular with interrogative; Translation: “Have you seen?”; Notes: Rhetorical question addressed to the prophet.
- אֲשֶׁ֥ר (asher) – Root: אשר (ʾasher); Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “what”; Notes: Introduces a relative clause describing Yisraʾel’s actions.
- עָשְׂתָ֖ה (ʿas’tah) – Root: עשׂה (ʿasah); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “she has done”; Notes: Refers to the actions of Yisraʾel, personified as a woman.
- מְשֻׁבָ֣ה (meshubah) – Root: שׁוב (shuv); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “backsliding”; Notes: A name or characterization of Yisraʾel as unfaithful.
- יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל (Yisraʾel) – Root: ישראל (Yisraʾel); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yisraʾel”; Notes: Refers to the northern kingdom.
- הֹלְכָ֨ה (holkhah) – Root: הלך (halakh); Form: Qal participle feminine singular; Translation: “She goes”; Notes: Describes habitual or repeated action.
- הִ֜יא (hiʾ) – Root: הוא (hu); Form: Independent pronoun feminine singular; Translation: “she”; Notes: Emphatic subject marker; intensifies reference to Yisraʾel.
- עַל־כָּל־הַ֣ר (ʿal-kol-ha-har) – Root: הר (har); Form: Preposition + construct phrase with definite noun; Translation: “on every high mountain”; Notes: Idolatrous high places commonly condemned.
- גָּבֹ֗הַּ (gavohah) – Root: גבה (gavah); Form: Adjective masculine singular; Translation: “high”; Notes: Modifies “mountain.”
- וְאֶל־תַּ֛חַת (ve-el-taḥat) – Root: תחת (taḥat); Form: Conjunction + preposition; Translation: “and under”; Notes: Parallel with previous phrase, emphasizing universality of action.
- כָּל־עֵ֥ץ (kol-ʿets) – Root: עץ (ʿets); Form: Construct phrase with masculine singular noun; Translation: “every tree”; Notes: Part of common phrase denoting places of idol worship.
- רַעֲנָ֖ן (raʿanan) – Root: רענן (raʿanan); Form: Adjective masculine singular; Translation: “green”; Notes: Suggests life or allure, but used here ironically.
- וַתִּזְנִי־שָֽׁם (va-tizni sham) – Root: זנה (zanah); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person feminine singular + adverb; Translation: “and she prostituted herself there”; Notes: Graphic metaphor for idolatry and spiritual infidelity.