הֵילִ֨ילִי חֶשְׁבֹּ֜ון כִּ֣י שֻׁדְּדָה־עַ֗י צְעַקְנָה֮ בְּנֹ֣ות רַבָּה֒ חֲגֹ֣רְנָה שַׂקִּ֔ים סְפֹ֕דְנָה וְהִתְשֹׁוטַ֖טְנָה בַּגְּדֵרֹ֑ות כִּ֤י מַלְכָּם֙ בַּגֹּולָ֣ה יֵלֵ֔ךְ כֹּהֲנָ֥יו וְשָׂרָ֖יו יַחְדָּֽיו׃
“Wail, Ḥeshbon, for ʿAi is devastated! Cry out, daughters of Rabba; gird yourselves with sackcloth, lament, and run to and fro among the walls, for Malkam shall go into exile, his priests and his princes together.
Morphology
- הֵילִילִי (heilili) – Root: ילל; Form: Hifil imperative 2nd person feminine singular; Translation: “wail!”; Notes: Addressed to Ḥeshbon as a city.
- חֶשְׁבֹּון (Ḥeshbon) – Root: —; Form: Proper noun, place name; Translation: “Ḥeshbon”; Notes: Prominent Moabite/Ammonite city.
- כִּי (ki) – Root: —; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for”; Notes: Introduces the reason for wailing.
- שֻׁדְּדָה (shuddedah) – Root: שׁדד; Form: Pual perfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “is devastated”; Notes: Passive, describing destruction.
- עַי (ʿAi) – Root: —; Form: Proper noun, place name; Translation: “ʿAi”; Notes: A city, here used as part of the judgment oracle.
- צְעַקְנָה (tseʿaqnah) – Root: צעק; Form: Qal imperative 2nd person feminine plural; Translation: “cry out!”; Notes: Addressed to the daughters of Rabbah.
- בְּנֹות (benot) – Root: בת; Form: Noun feminine plural construct; Translation: “daughters of”; Notes: Figurative for the towns of Rabbah.
- רַבָּה (Rabbah) – Root: —; Form: Proper noun, city name; Translation: “Rabbah”; Notes: Capital of the Ammonites.
- חֲגֹרְנָה (ḥagorna) – Root: חגר; Form: Qal imperative 2nd person feminine plural; Translation: “gird yourselves!”; Notes: Call to don sackcloth in mourning.
- שַׂקִּים (saqqim) – Root: שׂק; Form: Noun masculine plural absolute; Translation: “sackcloths”; Notes: Garments of mourning and humiliation.
- סְפֹדְנָה (sefodna) – Root: ספד; Form: Qal imperative 2nd person feminine plural; Translation: “lament!”; Notes: Call to funeral wailing.
- וְהִתְשֹׁוטַטְנָה (ve-hitshotatna) – Root: שׁוט; Form: Hitpael imperative 2nd person feminine plural; Translation: “and run to and fro!”; Notes: Expresses frantic mourning in the streets.
- בַּגְּדֵרֹות (ba-gderot) – Root: גדר; Form: Preposition בְּ + noun feminine plural absolute; Translation: “among the walls”; Notes: Likely city walls or enclosures.
- כִּי (ki) – Root: —; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for”; Notes: Explains the mourning.
- מַלְכָּם (Malkam) – Root: מלך; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Malkam”; Notes: Ammonite deity (Milcom) or possibly “their king.”
- בַּגֹּולָה (ba-golah) – Root: גלה; Form: Preposition בְּ + noun feminine singular absolute; Translation: “in exile”; Notes: Refers to deportation.
- יֵלֵךְ (yelekh) – Root: הלך; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “shall go”; Notes: The fate of Malkam, carried away.
- כֹּהֲנָיו (kohonav) – Root: כהן; Form: Noun masculine plural absolute + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “his priests”; Notes: Religious functionaries of Malkam.
- וְשָׂרָיו (ve-sarav) – Root: שר; Form: Conjunction + noun masculine plural absolute + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “and his princes”; Notes: Political leaders alongside the priests.
- יַחְדָּיו (yaḥdav) – Root: —; Form: Adverb with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “together”; Notes: Indicates joint fate of priests and princes in exile.