בֹּֽאוּ־לָ֤הּ מִקֵּץ֙ פִּתְח֣וּ מַאֲבֻסֶ֔יהָ סָלּ֥וּהָ כְמֹו־עֲרֵמִ֖ים וְהַחֲרִימ֑וּהָ אַל־תְּהִי־לָ֖הּ שְׁאֵרִֽית׃
Come against her from the end, open her storehouses, pile her up like heaps, and devote her to destruction. Let there not be to her a remnant.
Morphology
- בֹּאוּ (boʾu) – Root: בוא; Form: Qal imperative 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “Come!”; Notes: Command to approach in attack.
- לָהּ (lah) – Root: ל; Form: Preposition + 3rd feminine singular suffix; Translation: “against her/to her”; Notes: Refers to Babylon (feminine).
- מִקֵּץ (mi-qetz) – Root: קץ; Form: Preposition מִן + noun masculine singular; Translation: “from the end”; Notes: Could imply extremity or remote direction.
- פִּתְחוּ (pitḥu) – Root: פתח; Form: Qal imperative 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “open!”; Notes: A command to break open storage places.
- מַאֲבֻסֶיהָ (maʾavuseha) – Root: אבס; Form: Noun masculine plural + 3rd feminine singular suffix; Translation: “her storehouses”; Notes: Places of grain storage, here targeted for plunder.
- סָלּוּהָ (salluha) – Root: סלל; Form: Piel imperative 2nd masculine plural + 3rd feminine singular suffix; Translation: “pile her up”; Notes: Compare to heaping debris, treating Babylon as spoil.
- כְּמוֹ־עֲרֵמִים (kemo-ʿareymim) – Root: ערם; Form: Preposition כְּ + noun masculine plural; Translation: “like heaps”; Notes: Picturing Babylon reduced to piles of rubble.
- וְהַחֲרִימוּהָ (ve-haḥarimuha) – Root: חרם; Form: Hifil imperative 2nd masculine plural + 3rd feminine singular suffix; Translation: “and devote her to destruction”; Notes: Refers to placing under the ban of total annihilation.
- אַל (ʾal) – Root: —; Form: Negative particle; Translation: “do not”; Notes: Introduces prohibition.
- תְּהִי (tehi) – Root: היה; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd feminine singular jussive; Translation: “let there be”; Notes: Expresses a negative wish or decree.
- לָהּ (lah) – Root: ל; Form: Preposition + 3rd feminine singular suffix; Translation: “to her/for her”; Notes: Refers again to Babylon.
- שְׁאֵרִית (sheʾerit) – Root: שׁאר; Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “remnant”; Notes: Indicates total annihilation without survivors.