וָאֹמַ֕ר מָ֛ה אֵ֥לֶּה בָאִ֖ים לַֽעֲשֹׂ֑ות וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לֵאמֹ֗ר אֵ֣לֶּה הַקְּרָנֹ֞ות אֲשֶׁר־זֵ֣רוּ אֶת־יְהוּדָ֗ה כְּפִי־אִישׁ֙ לֹא־נָשָׂ֣א רֹאשֹׁ֔ו וַיָּבֹ֤אוּ אֵ֨לֶּה֙ לְהַחֲרִ֣יד אֹתָ֔ם לְיַדֹּ֞ות אֶת־קַרְנֹ֣ות הַגֹּויִ֗ם הַנֹּשְׂאִ֥ים קֶ֛רֶן אֶל־אֶ֥רֶץ יְהוּדָ֖ה לְזָרֹותָֽהּ׃ ס
And I said, “What are these coming to do?” And he said, saying, “These are the horns that scattered Yehuda so that no man lifted up his head, and these have come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations that lift a horn against the land of Yehuda to scatter her.”
Morphology
- וָאֹמַר (va-omar) — Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 1cs; Translation: “And I said”; Notes: The prophet initiates inquiry into the vision.
- מָה (mah) — Root: מה (mah); Form: Interrogative; Translation: “What”; Notes: Seeks the purpose of the craftsmen.
- אֵלֶּה (elleh) — Root: אלה (elleh); Form: Demonstrative plural; Translation: “these”; Notes: Refers to the four craftsmen.
- בָאִים (baʾim) — Root: בוא (boʾ); Form: Qal participle masculine plural; Translation: “coming”; Notes: Indicates their current approach.
- לַעֲשֹׂות (laʿasot) — Root: עשה (ʿasah); Form: Preposition לְ + infinitive construct; Translation: “to do”; Notes: Introduces purpose clause.
- וַיֹּאמֶר (va-yomer) — Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3ms; Translation: “And he said”; Notes: Messenger provides explanation.
- לֵאמֹר (leʾemor) — Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Preposition לְ + infinitive construct; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Introduces quoted explanation.
- אֵלֶּה (elleh) — Root: אלה (elleh); Form: Demonstrative plural; Translation: “These”; Notes: Indicates the previously mentioned horns.
- הַקְּרָנֹות (ha-qeranot) — Root: קרן (qeren); Form: Definite noun feminine plural; Translation: “the horns”; Notes: Symbol of hostile powers scattering Israel.
- אֲשֶׁר־זֵרוּ (ʾasher-zeru) — Root: זרה (zarah); Form: Relative pronoun + Qal perfect 3mp; Translation: “which scattered”; Notes: Describes past devastation.
- אֶת־יְהוּדָה (et-Yehudah) — Root: יהודה (Yehudah); Form: Object marker אֶת + proper noun; Translation: “Yehudah”; Notes: First target of the scattering.
- כְּפִי־אִישׁ (ke-fi-ish) — Root: פיה (fi) + אישׁ (ish); Form: Preposition כְּ + noun masculine singular + noun masculine singular; Translation: “so that no man”; Notes: Idiom expressing inability.
- לֹא־נָשָׂא (lo-nasaʾ) — Root: נשא (nasaʾ); Form: Negative particle + Qal perfect 3ms; Translation: “did not lift”; Notes: Figuratively means “to be unable to raise one’s head in dignity.”
- רֹאשׁו (rosho) — Root: ראשׁ (rosh); Form: Noun masculine singular + suffix 3ms; Translation: “his head”; Notes: Symbol of honor.
- וַיָּבֹאוּ (va-yavoʾu) — Root: בוא (boʾ); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3mp; Translation: “And they came”; Notes: Refers to the four craftsmen.
- אֵלֶּה (elleh) — Root: אלה (elleh); Form: Demonstrative plural; Translation: “these”; Notes: Points to the craftsmen as agents of divine intervention.
- לְהַחֲרִיד (le-hakharid) — Root: חרד (ḥarad); Form: Preposition לְ + Hifil infinitive construct; Translation: “to terrify”; Notes: Purpose of the craftsmen’s coming.
- אֹתָם (otam) — Root: את (ʾet); Form: Object marker + suffix 3mp; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the horns/nations.
- לְיַדּוֹת (le-yaddot) — Root: ידה (yadah); Form: Preposition לְ + Piel infinitive construct; Translation: “to cast down”; Notes: Suggests violent overthrow.
- אֶת־קַרְנֹות (et-qarnot) — Root: קרן (qeren); Form: Object marker + noun feminine plural; Translation: “the horns”; Notes: Direct object of the action.
- הַגֹּויִם (ha-goyim) — Root: גוי (goy); Form: Definite noun masculine plural; Translation: “the nations”; Notes: Hostile powers opposing Yehudah.
- הַנֹּשְׂאִים (ha-nosʾim) — Root: נשא (nasaʾ); Form: Definite Qal participle masculine plural; Translation: “the ones lifting”; Notes: Describes nations arrogantly raising a horn.
- קֶרֶן (qeren) — Root: קרן (qeren); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “a horn”; Notes: Symbol of power or aggression.
- אֶל־אֶרֶץ (el-erets) — Root: אל (ʾel) + ארץ (erets); Form: Preposition אֶל + noun feminine singular; Translation: “against the land of”; Notes: Specifies the target.
- יְהוּדָה (Yehudah) — Root: יהודה (Yehudah); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yehudah”; Notes: The affected land.
- לְזָרֹותָהּ (le-zarotah) — Root: זרה (zarah); Form: Preposition לְ + Qal infinitive construct + suffix 3fs; Translation: “to scatter her”; Notes: Reiterates the hostile objective.
- ס (samekh) — Root: —; Form: Masoretic section marker; Translation: “—”; Notes: Indicates a petucha break.