Jeremiah 4:22

כִּ֣י אֱוִ֣יל עַמִּ֗י אֹותִי֙ לֹ֣א יָדָ֔עוּ בָּנִ֤ים סְכָלִים֙ הֵ֔מָּה וְלֹ֥א נְבֹונִ֖ים הֵ֑מָּה חֲכָמִ֥ים הֵ֨מָּה֙ לְהָרַ֔ע וּלְהֵיטִ֖יב לֹ֥א יָדָֽעוּ׃

“For my people are foolish, me they have not known. They are senseless children, and they are not understanding. Wise are they to do evil, but to do good they do not know.”

Morphology

1. כִּ֣י (ki) – Root: כי; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “For”; Notes: Introduces an explanatory clause.
2. אֱוִ֣יל (ʾevil) – Root: אול; Form: Adjective masculine singular; Translation: “foolish”; Notes: Describes moral and spiritual dullness.
3. עַמִּ֗י (ʿammi) – Root: עם; Form: Noun masculine singular + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “my people”; Notes: Subject of the clause, marked possessive.
4. אֹותִי֙ (ʾoti) – Root: את; Form: Object marker + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “me”; Notes: Direct object of יָדָעוּ.
5. לֹ֣א (lo) – Root: לא; Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates the verb following.
6. יָדָ֔עוּ (yadaʿu) – Root: ידע; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they have known”; Notes: Refers to intimate, relational knowledge, not just intellectual awareness.
7. בָּנִ֤ים (banim) – Root: בן; Form: Noun masculine plural absolute; Translation: “children”; Notes: Used figuratively for the nation.
8. סְכָלִים֙ (seḵalim) – Root: סכל; Form: Adjective masculine plural; Translation: “senseless / foolish”; Notes: More intensive than אֱוִיל, stressing stupidity.
9. הֵ֔מָּה (hemah) – Root: הם; Form: Independent pronoun masculine plural; Translation: “they”; Notes: Repeated for emphasis.
10. וְלֹ֥א (ve-lo) – Root: לא; Form: Conjunction + negation; Translation: “and not”; Notes: Links clause with further negation.
11. נְבֹונִ֖ים (nevonim) – Root: בין; Form: Adjective masculine plural; Translation: “understanding / discerning”; Notes: Intellectual and moral discernment.
12. חֲכָמִ֥ים (ḥakhamim) – Root: חכם; Form: Adjective masculine plural; Translation: “wise”; Notes: Ironically used here.
13. לְהָרַ֔ע (le-haraʿ) – Root: רעע; Form: Preposition + infinitive construct; Translation: “to do evil”; Notes: Purpose or result clause.
14. וּלְהֵיטִ֖יב (u-leheitiv) – Root: יטב; Form: Conjunction + preposition + Hiphil infinitive construct; Translation: “and to do good”; Notes: Infinitive from Hiphil stem, contrasts with the previous clause.
15. לֹ֥א (lo) – Root: לא; Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Denies the next verb.
16. יָדָֽעוּ (yadaʿu) – Root: ידע; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they have known”; Notes: Repetition emphasizes the contrast between moral wisdom and moral ignorance.