Antithetical Parallelism and Object-Verb Inversion in Prophetic Woe Oracles

Introduction to Isaiah 5:20

This verse forms part of a series of woe oracles in Isaiah 5 that denounce moral perversion and societal corruption. It presents a poetic and rhetorical list of accusations against those who invert moral categories. The verse features antithetical parallelism, where one concept is juxtaposed with its opposite, and also displays instances of object-verb inversion for poetic emphasis. This lesson will focus on the use of semantic inversion and syntactic order variation to deliver prophetic condemnation.

הֹ֣וי הָאֹמְרִ֥ים לָרַ֛ע טֹ֖וב וְלַטֹּ֣וב רָ֑ע שָׂמִ֨ים חֹ֤שֶׁךְ לְאֹור֙ וְאֹ֣ור לְחֹ֔שֶׁךְ שָׂמִ֥ים מַ֛ר לְמָתֹ֖וק וּמָתֹ֥וק לְמָֽר׃

Analysis of Key Words and Structures

1. הֹ֣וי (hoy) – “Woe!”
   – Interjection expressing lament or denunciation.
   – Used in prophetic literature to pronounce judgment.
2. הָאֹמְרִ֥ים לָרַ֛ע טֹ֖וב (haʾomrim laraʿ tov) – “those who say concerning evil, ‘Good.’”
   – הָאֹמְרִים: Qal active participle mp from אמר, with article: “those who say.”
   – לָרַע: preposition לְ + definite רַע = “about the evil.”
   – טוֹב: predicate of what is wrongly declared — “good.”
3. וְלַטֹּ֣וב רָ֑ע (velattov raʿ) – “and concerning the good, ‘Evil.’”
   – Parallel to previous clause, reversing terms.
   – This line continues the semantic inversion motif.
4. שָׂמִ֨ים חֹ֤שֶׁךְ לְאֹור֙ (samim ḥoshekh leʾor) – “placing darkness for light.”
   – שָׂמִים: Qal participle mp of שׂים = “placing.”
   – חֹשֶׁךְ (darkness) becomes the direct object.
   – לְאֹור: “in place of light” — a construct indicating substitution.
5. וְאֹ֣ור לְחֹ֔שֶׁךְ (veʾor leḥoshekh) – “and light for darkness.”
   – Continuation of antithetical pattern.
   – Each noun is reversed and matched to show moral reversal.
6. שָׂמִ֥ים מַ֛ר לְמָתֹ֖וק (samim mar lematoq) – “placing bitter for sweet.”
   – מַר: “bitter.” לְמָתֹוק: “in place of sweet.”
   – Another moral-taste reversal metaphor for ethical misjudgment.
7. וּמָתֹ֥וק לְמָֽר (umatoq lemar) – “and sweet for bitter.”
   – Final reversal in the triadic parallel structure.
   – Closes the poetic unit with complete antithesis.

Semantic and Syntactic Inversion as Poetic Judgment Devices

This verse is structured around triplet pairs of inversion:
– רַע ↔ טֹוב
– חֹשֶׁךְ ↔ אוֹר
– מַר ↔ מָתוֹק

Each pair is expressed with syntactic parallelism and semantic contradiction. The structure follows this pattern:

– Subject participle: הָאֹמְרִים / שָׂמִים
– Object 1 + preposition לְ + Object 2

This forms a X for Y / Y for X alternation:
– לָרַע טֹוב // לַטֹּוב רָע
– חֹשֶׁךְ לְאוֹר // אוֹר לְחֹשֶׁךְ
– מַר לְמָתוֹק // מָתוֹק לְמָר

Grammatically, this structure relies on object-verb inversion and appositional parallelism for poetic intensity. The participles הָאֹמְרִים and שָׂמִים link the clauses by marking the perpetrators as continuously performing these moral distortions.

Why Antithetical Grammar Mirrors Moral Rebellion in Isaiah

Isaiah 5:20 is a poetic indictment of moral confusion. The grammar reinforces the theological message: when God’s standards are reversed, destruction follows.

– Syntax mirrors sin: what should be good is called evil, and grammar itself expresses the inversion.
– Parallelism amplifies guilt: each pair adds rhetorical weight to the accusation.
– Participial structure implies continuity: these are not isolated actions but patterns of moral rebellion.

Thus, in Isaiah’s oracle, grammatical structure is not neutral — it functions as a mirror of ethical disorder, embodying the very perversion it condemns.