קֹ֤ול שְׁמוּעָה֙ הִנֵּ֣ה בָאָ֔ה וְרַ֥עַשׁ גָּדֹ֖ול מֵאֶ֣רֶץ צָפֹ֑ון לָשׂ֞וּם אֶת־עָרֵ֧י יְהוּדָ֛ה שְׁמָמָ֖ה מְעֹ֥ון תַּנִּֽים׃
(Jeremiah 10:22)
A sound of a report, behold, it is coming, and a great shaking from the land of the north, to make the cities of Judah a desolation, a habitation of jackals.
Jeremiah 10:22 is a compact prophetic announcement whose force lies not in verbal abundance but in syntactic momentum. The verse layers nominal clauses, deictic particles, participial motion, and a lamed-purpose infinitive to convey inevitability. Judgment is not argued; it is heard, felt, and oriented. Hebrew grammar here functions as acoustics and geography combined — sound advancing from the north toward Judah with a defined destructive purpose.
Auditory Fronting: קֹול שְׁמוּעָה
- קֹול: Noun, “sound, voice.”
- שְׁמוּעָה: Noun, “report, rumor, tidings.”
The verse opens with a nominal phrase rather than a verb. This fronting is deliberate. The subject is not yet an action but a perception—sound. In prophetic discourse, auditory imagery often precedes visual or verbal confirmation. The construct-like juxtaposition קֹול שְׁמוּעָה compresses sensation and information: not merely a noise, but a message already circulating.
By beginning with a noun phrase, the syntax suspends action and creates expectancy. The audience hears before they see; the grammar enforces that order.
Deictic Immediacy: הִנֵּה בָאָה
- הִנֵּה: Deictic particle, “behold.”
- בָאָה: Qal participle feminine singular of בוא, “coming.”
The particle הִנֵּה anchors the announcement in the present moment. It does not introduce distant future but imminent reality. The participle בָאָה (feminine, agreeing with שְׁמוּעָה) expresses in-progress motion. The report is not completed; it is advancing.
Hebrew frequently uses participles to convey unfolding action—especially in prophetic speech. The effect here is urgency without panic: the event is already underway. Grammar communicates inevitability through aspect rather than tense.
Escalation Through Coordination: וְרַעַשׁ גָּדֹול
- וְ: Conjunction, additive.
- רַעַשׁ: Noun, “shaking, rumbling, earthquake.”
- גָּדֹול: Adjective, “great.”
The conjunction וְ does not merely add information; it intensifies it. What begins as sound becomes motion. רַעַשׁ denotes physical disturbance, often seismic or military. The adjective גָּדֹול magnifies the threat without specifying its agent. The grammar allows terror to grow while withholding full identification.
This escalation, from report to rumble, mirrors prophetic strategy: the audience senses danger before it is named.
Geographic Orientation: מֵאֶרֶץ צָפֹון
- מִן: Preposition, “from.”
- אֶרֶץ: Noun, “land.”
- צָפֹון: Noun, “north.”
The prepositional phrase מֵאֶרֶץ צָפֹון grounds the threat geographically. In Jeremiah, “the north” is not merely a compass point; it is a symbolic direction of invasion and judgment. Grammatically, מִן marks source, reinforcing movement toward Judah.
Notably, the verse avoids naming a nation. Grammar again carries theology: the emphasis lies on direction and inevitability rather than political specificity.
Purpose Infinitive: לָשׂוּם
- לָשׂוּם: Infinitive construct with לְ, “to set, to make.”
The infinitive with לְ introduces purpose. Everything heard and felt has an aim. Hebrew purpose infinitives often appear after motion or source phrases, and here the syntax is exact: sound → movement → origin → intention.
The judgment is not chaotic. Grammar insists on design.
The Object of Devastation: אֶת־עָרֵי יְהוּדָה
- אֶת־: Direct object marker.
- עָרֵי: Plural construct of עִיר, “cities of.”
- יְהוּדָה: Proper noun, “Judah.”
The direct object marker אֶת־ removes ambiguity. The target is explicit: the cities of Judah. The plural construct emphasizes comprehensive impact, urban life as a whole, not a single location.
Resultative Apposition: שְׁמָמָה מְעֹון תַּנִּים
- שְׁמָמָה: Noun, “desolation.”
- מְעֹון: Noun, “dwelling place.”
- תַּנִּים: Noun plural, “jackals.”
The final phrase stacks nouns in appositional sequence. First comes abstraction (שְׁמָמָה), then concretization (מְעֹון תַּנִּים). The grammar moves from state to image. Desolation is not defined theoretically; it is pictured as a habitat for scavengers.
This is classic prophetic compression: theology rendered visible through syntax.
Syntactic Flow Overview
| Stage | Hebrew Segment | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Perception | קֹול שְׁמוּעָה | Auditory anticipation |
| Immediacy | הִנֵּה בָאָה | In-progress arrival |
| Escalation | וְרַעַשׁ גָּדֹול | Intensification |
| Source | מֵאֶרֶץ צָפֹון | Directional threat |
| Purpose | לָשׂוּם | Intentional judgment |
| Result | שְׁמָמָה מְעֹון תַּנִּים | Visualized devastation |
When Grammar Becomes Warning
Jeremiah 10:22 demonstrates how Hebrew prophecy communicates certainty without verbosity. The verse contains no explicit divine speech, no command, no named enemy, yet its grammar leaves no doubt. By sequencing sound, motion, source, and purpose, the syntax itself announces judgment.
The audience is not told to fear; they are made to hear. In biblical Hebrew, grammar can preach. And here, it warns.