בָּבֶל֙

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 בָּבֶל֙

   ba-VEL

   Babylon
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 בְּיַד־מֶ֤לֶךְ בָּבֶל֙

   be-YAD-ME-lekh ba-VEL

   into the hand of the king of Babylon
3. clause🔊 בְּיַד־מֶ֤לֶךְ בָּבֶל֙ תִּנָּתֵ֔ן וּשְׂרָפָ֖הּ בָּאֵֽשׁ׃

   be-YAD-ME-lekh ba-VEL tin-na-TEN u-se-ra-FA ba-ESH

   into the hand of the king of Babylon it shall be given and he shall burn it with fire
4. sentence🔊 כִּ֣י שַׂ֣מְתִּי פָ֠נַי בָּעִ֨יר הַזֹּ֧את לְרָעָ֛ה וְלֹ֥א לְטוֹבָ֖ה נְאֻם־יְהוָ֑ה בְּיַד־מֶ֤לֶךְ בָּבֶל֙ תִּנָּתֵ֔ן וּשְׂרָפָ֖הּ בָּאֵֽשׁ׃

   KI SAM-ti PA-nai ba-IR ha-ZOT le-ra-A ve-LO le-to-VA ne-UM-ye-ho-VAH be-YAD-ME-lekh ba-VEL tin-na-TEN u-se-ra-FA ba-ESH

   for I have set my face against the city this for harm and not for good declares the LORD into the hand of the king of Babylon it shall be given and he shall burn it with fire

Exegesis

The clause be-yad-melekh Bavel tinaten {בְּיַד־מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל תִּנָּתֵן | bə-yad mêleḵ Bāvel tin-nā-ṯēn} uses the Nifal imperfect to express inevitability of the city’s surrender, and u-serafah ba’esh {וּשְׂרָפָהּ בָּאֵשׁ | u-śə-rā-p̄āh bāʾēš} ‘and it will be burned with fire’ employs a Qal perfect to portray definitive destruction. The parallel verb forms and contrasts underscore YHWH’s sovereign judgment.