הַֽעַל־אֵ֥לֶּה לֹֽא־אֶפְקֹ֖ד נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה אִ֚ם בְּגֹ֣וי אֲשֶׁר־כָּזֶ֔ה לֹ֥א תִתְנַקֵּ֖ם נַפְשִֽׁי׃ ס
‘Shall I not punish for these things?’ declares YHWH, ‘On a nation such as this, shall not My soul take vengeance?’
Morphology
- הַֽעַל־אֵלֶּה (haʿal-elleh) – Root: על / אלה; Form: Interrogative prefix + preposition עַל + demonstrative plural; Translation: “for these things”; Notes: Introduces a rhetorical question about divine judgment.
- לֹא (lo) – Root: לא; Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates the verb to follow, in rhetorical context implying certainty.
- אֶפְקֹד (efqod) – Root: פקד; Form: Qal imperfect 1st person singular; Translation: “shall I punish” or “shall I visit”; Notes: Indicates judicial action—divine retribution.
- נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה (neʾum-YHWH) – Root: נאם; Form: Noun construct + proper name; Translation: “declares YHWH”; Notes: Prophetic affirmation of divine speech.
- אִם (im) – Root: אם; Form: Conditional particle; Translation: “if”; Notes: Rhetorical construction expecting affirmative answer.
- בְּגֹוי (be-goy) – Root: גוי; Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “on a nation”; Notes: Object of divine vengeance.
- אֲשֶׁר־כָּזֶה (asher-ka-zeh) – Root: אשר / זה; Form: Relative pronoun + demonstrative pronoun masculine singular with prefix כְּ; Translation: “such as this”; Notes: Refers to the nation described in previous verses.
- לֹא (lo) – Root: לא; Form: Negative particle; Translation: “shall not”; Notes: Negates the verb “avenge,” in a rhetorical form implying certainty.
- תִתְנַקֵּם (titnaqqem) – Root: נקם; Form: Hitpael imperfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “take vengeance”; Notes: Reflexive or intensive verb expressing personal retaliation by YHWH.
- נַפְשִׁי (nafshi) – Root: נפשׁ; Form: Noun feminine singular with 1cs suffix; Translation: “My soul”; Notes: A poetic expression of God’s inner being or will.