Causal כְּ־ with Comparative Structure and Divine Retribution Syntax

Introduction to Ezekiel 35:15

This verse concludes a prophecy of judgment against Mount Seʿir and the nation of Edom. It contrasts Edom’s joy at Israel’s devastation with the devastation that will now come upon Edom. Grammatically, it showcases the use of comparative כְּ־ clauses, divine speech verbs, and word order emphasizing retribution. This lesson will examine the use of causal-comparative כְּ־ constructions and the syntax of judgment declarations in prophetic Hebrew.

כְּשִׂמְחָ֨תְךָ֜ לְנַחְלַ֧ת בֵּֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל עַ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־שָׁמֵ֖מָה כֵּ֣ן אֶעֱשֶׂה־לָּ֑ךְ שְׁמָמָ֨ה תִֽהְיֶ֤ה הַר־שֵׂעִיר֙ וְכָל־אֱדֹ֣ום כֻּלָּ֔הּ וְיָדְע֖וּ כִּֽי־אֲנִ֥י יְהוָֽה׃

Analysis of Key Words and Structures

1. כְּשִׂמְחָ֨תְךָ֜ (kesimḥatkha) – “As you rejoiced.”
   – כְּ־ prefix indicating comparison or manner: “as / just as.”
   – שִׂמְחָה (“joy”) in construct with 2ms suffix ךָ = “your rejoicing.”
   – Introduces the standard for comparison: Edom’s joy at Israel’s suffering.
2. לְנַחְלַ֧ת בֵּֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל (lenakhalat beit-yisraʾel) – “over the inheritance of the house of Yisraʾel.”
   – Preposition לְ + נַחֲלָה (“inheritance”) in construct with בֵּית־יִשְׂרָאֵל.
   – Refers to the land and covenantal possession of the Israelites.
3. עַל אֲשֶׁר־שָׁמֵ֖מָה (ʿal asher shamemah) – “because it became desolate.”
   – עַל + אֲשֶׁר introduces a cause or justification.
   – שָׁמֵמָה is Qal perfect 3fs from שׁמם, agreeing with נַחֲלָה.
   – Together, this clause explains the occasion for Edom’s gloating.
4. כֵּן אֶעֱשֶׂה־לָּ֑ךְ (ken eʿeseh lakh) – “so I will do to you.”
   – כֵּן = “so, thus,” responding to the earlier comparison.
   – אֶעֱשֶׂה is Qal imperfect 1cs from עשה (“to do”), forming a divine judgment statement.
5. שְׁמָמָ֨ה תִֽהְיֶ֤ה הַר־שֵׂעִיר֙ (shemamah tihyeh har-seʿir) – “Desolation shall be Mount Seʿir.”
   – שְׁמָמָה = “desolation,” the subject.
   – תִֽהְיֶה = Qal imperfect 3fs from היה, agreeing with שְׁמָמָה.
   – הַר־שֵׂעִיר in apposition = “Mount Seʿir shall be desolation.”
   – The reversed word order highlights thematic retribution.
6. וְכָל־אֱדֹ֣ום כֻּלָּ֔הּ (vekhol-edom kullah) – “and all of Edom, all of it.”
   – כָל + proper name = “all of Edom.”
   – כֻּלָּהּ intensifies the totality – “entirely, completely.”
7. וְיָדְע֖וּ כִּֽי־אֲנִ֥י יְהוָֽה (veyadʿu ki-ʾani YHWH) – “and they shall know that I am YHWH.”
   – וְיָדְעוּ = Qal perfect or imperfect (depending on context) from ידע.
   – כִּי־אֲנִי יְהוָה is the covenant formula of divine self-disclosure.

Comparative כְּ־ and Divine Echo Syntax in Prophetic Judgment

The verse opens with a comparative clause:
– כְּשִׂמְחָתְךָ introduces a manner-based comparison.
– The comparison is moral and judicial, not simply temporal or physical.
– It contrasts Edom’s emotional response with YHWH’s judicial action.

This sets up the formula:
– כְּ X… כֵּן Y = “Just as X… so Y.”
– A common pattern in Hebrew judgment passages:
– X: the nation’s sin or action.
– Y: YHWH’s mirrored judgment.

The syntax of שְׁמָמָה תִֽהְיֶה הַר־שֵׂעִיר reverses the expected subject-verb-object order to draw attention to the outcome. This emphatic subject fronting is poetic and thematic.

Why Comparative Syntax Reveals Moral Symmetry in Ezekiel

Ezekiel 35:15 illustrates how syntax becomes the tool of justice. The כְּ… כֵּן construction renders YHWH’s retribution as morally symmetrical:
– Edom’s schadenfreude at Yisraʾel’s devastation is now the standard by which it is judged.
– The comparison is not only verbal—it becomes actualized in the mirrored grammar of divine punishment.

The verse’s final clause וְיָדְע֖וּ כִּֽי־אֲנִ֥י יְהוָֽה concludes the cycle: recognition of YHWH is the theological aim. Syntax is not only judgment—it leads to revelation.

Thus, the grammar of comparison serves as a moral mirror, revealing YHWH’s justice through structural balance.