לָכֵ֞ן שִׁמְע֣וּ עֲצַת־יְהוָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר יָעַץ֙ אֶל־בָּבֶ֔ל וּמַ֨חְשְׁבֹותָ֔יו אֲשֶׁ֥ר חָשַׁ֖ב אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ כַּשְׂדִּ֑ים אִם־לֹ֤א יִסְחָבוּם֙ צְעִירֵ֣י הַצֹּ֔אן אִם־לֹ֥א יַשִּׁ֛ים עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם נָוֶֽה׃
Therefore hear the counsel of YHWH that He has counseled against Bavel, and His thoughts that He has thought against the land of the Kasdim: Surely the little ones of the flock shall drag them away, surely He shall make their pasture desolate because of them.
Morphology
- לָכֵן (lakhen) – Root: —; Form: Adverb/conjunction; Translation: “Therefore”; Notes: Introduces consequence of prior prophecy.
- שִׁמְעוּ (shimʿu) – Root: שׁמע; Form: Qal imperative 2nd masculine plural; Translation: “hear!”; Notes: A command directed to the audience.
- עֲצַת־יְהוָה (ʿatsat-YHWH) – Root: עצה; Form: Noun feminine singular construct + divine name; Translation: “the counsel of YHWH”; Notes: God’s deliberate plan or decree.
- אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) – Root: —; Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “which/that”; Notes: Introduces relative clause.
- יָעַץ (yaʿats) – Root: יעץ; Form: Qal perfect 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “He has counseled”; Notes: Refers to YHWH’s decisive act of planning judgment.
- אֶל־בָּבֶל (el-Bavel) – Root: בבל; Form: Preposition אֶל + proper noun; Translation: “against Bavel”; Notes: Target of God’s decree.
- וּמַחְשְׁבֹותָיו (u-maḥshevotav) – Root: חשב; Form: Conjunction + noun feminine plural construct + 3rd masculine singular suffix; Translation: “and His thoughts/plans”; Notes: God’s intentions or strategies.
- אֲשֶׁר חָשַׁב (ʾasher ḥashav) – Root: חשב; Form: Relative pronoun + Qal perfect 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “that He has thought/devised”; Notes: Emphasizes deliberate planning.
- אֶל־אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים (el-eretz Kasdim) – Root: ארץ + כשׂד; Form: Preposition אֶל + noun feminine singular + proper noun masculine plural; Translation: “against the land of the Kasdim”; Notes: Specifies territory under judgment.
- אִם־לֹא (im-lo) – Root: —; Form: Conditional particle + negative; Translation: “surely”; Notes: Idiomatic Hebrew oath formula emphasizing certainty.
- יִסְחָבוּם (yisḥavum) – Root: סחב; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd masculine plural + 3rd masculine plural suffix; Translation: “they shall drag them away”; Notes: Indicates humiliation of Babylon’s leaders by the weakest.
- צְעִירֵי (tzeʿirei) – Root: צעיר; Form: Adjective masculine plural construct; Translation: “the little ones of”; Notes: Here metaphorically refers to insignificant enemies or weakest sheep.
- הַצֹּאן (ha-tsoʾn) – Root: צאן; Form: Noun collective feminine singular with article; Translation: “the flock”; Notes: Common metaphor for a nation’s weak ones.
- אִם־לֹא (im-lo) – Root: —; Form: Conditional particle + negative; Translation: “surely”; Notes: Repeated for emphasis of certainty.
- יַשִּׁים (yashim) – Root: שׂים; Form: Qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular; Translation: “He shall make/appoint”; Notes: Refers to God’s act of desolating or appointing judgment.
- עֲלֵיהֶם (ʿalehem) – Root: על; Form: Preposition + 3rd masculine plural suffix; Translation: “upon them”; Notes: Refers to the Babylonians.
- נָוֶה (naweh) – Root: נוה; Form: Noun masculine singular absolute; Translation: “pasture/dwelling”; Notes: Ironically Babylon becomes a desolated pasture.