וְחֶ֣רֶב

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וְחֶ֣רֶב

   ve-KHE-rev

   and a sword
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 וְחֶ֣רֶב אוֹיְבֶ֣ךָ לְמַשֶּׂגֶת֒

   ve-KHE-rev o-ye-VE-kha le-mas-se-GET

   and a sword of your enemy for overtaking
3. clause🔊 אִם־שָׁל֨וֹשׁ שָׁנִ֜ים רָעָ֗ב וְאִם־שְׁלֹשָׁ֨ה חֳדָשִׁ֜ים נִסְפֶּ֥ה מִפְּנֵי־צָרֶיךָ֮ וְחֶ֣רֶב אוֹיְבֶ֣ךָ לְמַשֶּׂגֶת֒ וְאִם־שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת יָ֠מִים חֶ֣רֶב יְהוָ֤ה וְדֶ֙בֶר֙ בָּאָ֔רֶץ וּמַלְאַ֣ךְ יְהוָ֔ה מַשְׁחִ֖ית בְּכָל־גְּב֣וּל יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל

   im-sha-LOSH sha-NIM ra-AV ve-im-she-lo-SHA kho-da-SHIM nis-pe mip-pe-NE-tsa-re-KHA ve-KHE-rev o-ye-VE-kha le-mas-se-GET ve-im-she-LO-shet ya-MIM KHE-rev ye-ho-VAH ve-DE-ver ba-A-rets u-mal-AKH ye-ho-VAH mash-KHIT be-khol-ge-VUL yis-ra-EL

   if three years famine and if three months being swept away from before your adversaries and a sword of your enemy for overtaking and if three of days a sword of the LORD and pestilence in the land and an angel of the LORD destroying in all the territory of Israel
4. sentence🔊 אִם־שָׁל֨וֹשׁ שָׁנִ֜ים רָעָ֗ב וְאִם־שְׁלֹשָׁ֨ה חֳדָשִׁ֜ים נִסְפֶּ֥ה מִפְּנֵי־צָרֶיךָ֮ וְחֶ֣רֶב אוֹיְבֶ֣ךָ לְמַשֶּׂגֶת֒ וְאִם־שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת יָ֠מִים חֶ֣רֶב יְהוָ֤ה וְדֶ֙בֶר֙ בָּאָ֔רֶץ וּמַלְאַ֣ךְ יְהוָ֔ה מַשְׁחִ֖ית בְּכָל־גְּב֣וּל יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְעַתָּ֣ה רְאֵ֔ה מָֽה־אָשִׁ֥יב אֶת־שֹׁלְחִ֖י דָּבָֽר׃

   im-sha-LOSH sha-NIM ra-AV ve-im-she-lo-SHA kho-da-SHIM nis-pe mip-pe-NE-tsa-re-KHA ve-KHE-rev o-ye-VE-kha le-mas-se-GET ve-im-she-LO-shet ya-MIM KHE-rev ye-ho-VAH ve-DE-ver ba-A-rets u-mal-AKH ye-ho-VAH mash-KHIT be-khol-ge-VUL yis-ra-EL ve-a-TA re-E MA-o-SHIV et-sho-le-KHI da-VAR

   if three years famine and if three months being swept away from before your adversaries and a sword of your enemy for overtaking and if three of days a sword of the LORD and pestilence in the land and an angel of the LORD destroying in all the territory of Israel and now see what I shall return to the one sending me a word or matter

Exegesis

The verse employs a triadic conditional structure signaled by im {אִם | ʾim} ‘if,’ each clause introduced by a temporal phrase (šālōš šānīm rāʿāḇ {שָׁל֨וֹשׁ שָׁנִ֜ים רָעָ֗ב | šālōš šānīm rāʿāḇ} ‘three years of famine,’ šəlōšāh ḥōḏāšīm nispēh mippənē ṣārēḵā {שְׁלֹשָׁ֨ה חֳדָשִׁ֜ים נִסְפֶּ֥ה מִפְּנֵי־צָרֶיךָ֮ | šəlōšāh ḥōḏāšīm nispēh mippənē ṣārēḵā} ‘three months of being destroyed before your adversaries,’ šəlōšet yāmīm ḥereḇ YHWH ve-deḇēr ba-ʾāreṣ {שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת יָ֠מִים חֶ֣רֶב יְהוָ֤ה וְדֶ֙בֶר֙ בָּאָ֔רֶץ | šəlōšet yāmīm ḥereḇ Yə-hō-wāh wə-deḇēr ba-ʾāreṣ} ‘three days of the sword of the LORD and pestilence in the land’), linked by vav-conjunctions to amplify urgency.

Construct-state expressions (e.g., ṣārēḵā {צָרֶיךָ | ṣārēḵā}, ḥereḇ ʾōyvēḵā {חֶרֶב אוֹיְבֶךָ | ḥereḇ ʾōyvēḵā}) indicate possession. The Niphal participle nispēh conveys passive destruction, while the Hiphil participle mašḥīṯ marks active devastation. The imperative rəʾēh (‘see’) invites decision, and the Hiphil imperfect mā-ʾašîḇ underscores the speaker’s forthcoming reply.

Root and etymology

Root🔊 ח־ר־בchet-resh-bet

“to destroy”

• 🔊 חֹרֶבḥōreḇdesolationJeremiah 50:35