מַשְׁבִּ֥ית מִלְחָמֹות עַד־קְצֵה הָאָרֶץ קֶשֶׁת יְשַׁבֵּר וְקִצֵּץ חֲנִית עֲגָלֹות יִשְׂרֹף בָּאֵשׁ׃
Causing wars to cease unto the end of the earth, He breaks the bow and cuts off the spear, He burns the wagons with fire.
| # | Hebrew | Transliteration | Literal Gloss | Morph Tag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | מַשְׁבִּית | mashbit | “causing to cease” | Hiphil participle ms |
| 2 | מִלְחָמֹות | milḥamot | “wars” | N(fp) |
| 3 | עַד־קְצֵה | ʿad-qetseh | “unto the end of” | Prep עַד + N(ms) construct |
| 4 | הָאָרֶץ | ha-ʾarets | “the earth” | Def. art. הַ + N(fs) |
| 5 | קֶשֶׁת | qeshet | “bow” | N(fs) |
| 6 | יְשַׁבֵּר | yeshaber | “He breaks” | Piel imperfect 3ms |
| 7 | וְקִצֵּץ | ve-qitsets | “and cuts off” | Conj וְ + Piel perfect 3ms |
| 8 | חֲנִית | ḥanit | “spear” | N(fs) |
| 9 | עֲגָלֹות | ʿagalot | “wagons” | N(fp) |
| 10 | יִשְׂרֹף | yisrof | “He burns” | Qal imperfect 3ms |
| 11 | בָּאֵשׁ | ba-ʾesh | “with the fire” | Prep בְּ + Def. N(fs) |
Morphology
- מַשְׁבִּית (mashbit) – Root: שׁבת (sh-b-t); Root Type: Strong; Binyan: Hiphil; Form: Participle masculine singular; Translation: “causing to cease”; Notes: Expresses causative action of ending warfare. Rooted in שׁבת, from which we get Sabbath, it literally means ‘causing to rest’ or ‘causing to cease.’ By using the gerund-like ‘Causing,’ the sense that this is a characteristic attribute of God, the ‘War‑Stopper,’ is maintained.
- מִלְחָמֹות (milḥamot) – Root: לחם (l-ḥ-m); Root Type: Strong; Form: Noun feminine plural; Translation: “wars”; Notes: Refers to battles or conflicts.
- עַד־קְצֵה (ʿad-qetseh) – Root: עד (ʿ-d) + קצה (q-ṣ-h); Root Type: I-Guttural (ע) (weak) + III-He (weak); Form: Preposition עַד + noun masculine singular construct (state: construct); Translation: “unto the end of”; Notes: Indicates extent or limit.
- הָאָרֶץ (ha-ʾarets) – Root: ארץ (ʾ-r-ṣ); Root Type: I-Guttural (א) (weak); Form: Definite article הַ + noun feminine singular; Translation: “the earth”; Notes: The whole land or world.
- קֶשֶׁת (qeshet) – Root: קשׁת (q-sh-t); Root Type: Strong; Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “bow”; Notes: Weapon of war.
- יְשַׁבֵּר (yeshaber) – Root: שׁבר (sh-b-r); Root Type: Strong; Binyan: Piel; Form: Imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “He breaks”; Notes: Intensive action of destruction. The verb יְשַׁבֵּר is the Piel (intensive) form of “break.” While “breaks” is a standard literal translation, the Piel often implies “shattering into many pieces.”
- וְקִצֵּץ (ve-qitsets) – Root: קצץ (q-ṣ-ṣ); Root Type: Geminate; Binyan: Piel; Form: Conjunction וְ + perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and cuts off”; Notes: Continued destructive action. קִצֵּץ (qitzez) is a Piel perfect, suggesting a definitive, forceful “hacking off” or “chopping.” “Shatters” and “chops” would be the hyper-intensive equivalents.
- חֲנִית (ḥanit) – Root: חנית (ḥ-n-y-t); Root Type: Strong; Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “spear”; Notes: Weapon used in battle.
- עֲגָלֹות (ʿagalot) – Root: עגל (ʿ-g-l); Root Type: I-Guttural (ע) (weak); Form: Noun feminine plural; Translation: “wagons”; Notes: Possibly war chariots or transport vehicles. In a strictly literal sense, עֲגָלֹות are “round things” or “wagons/carts.” While many translations use “chariots” to fit the military context (bows and spears), “wagons” remains more faithful to the Hebrew root while allowing the reader to infer their use as supply or war vehicles.
- יִשְׂרֹף (yisrof) – Root: שרף (sh-r-f); Root Type: Strong; Binyan: Qal; Form: Imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “He burns”; Notes: Describes destruction by fire.
- בָּאֵשׁ (ba-ʾesh) – Root: אשׁ (ʾ-sh); Root Type: I-Guttural (א) (weak); Form: Preposition בְּ + definite article הַ + noun feminine singular; Translation: “with the fire”; Notes: Instrument of destruction. The Hebrew uses the prefix בְּ (be), meaning “in.” The translation “with fire” is a natural English rendering of the instrumental use of the preposition. To be strictly literal to the syntax, one could say “in the fire,” but “with fire” is the correct functional equivalent for the Hebrew idiom.