יִסֹּ֨וב כָּל־הָאָ֤רֶץ כָּעֲרָבָה֙ מִגֶּ֣בַע לְרִמֹּ֔ון נֶ֖גֶב יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם וְרָאֲמָה וְיָשְׁבָה תַחְתֶּיהָ לְמִשַּׁ֣עַר בִּנְיָמִ֗ן עַד־מְקֹ֞ום שַׁ֤עַר הָרִאשֹׁון֙ עַד־שַׁ֣עַר הַפִּנִּ֔ים וּמִגְדַּ֣ל חֲנַנְאֵ֔ל עַ֖ד יִקְבֵ֥י הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃
(Zechariah 14:10)
All the land shall be turned like the ʿAravah from Geva to Rimmon south of Yerushalayim and she shall be raised and shall dwell in her place from the Gate of Binyamin to the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate and from the Tower of Ḥananel to the winepresses of the king.
Topography by Morphology
This eschatological vision transforms the geography of Eretz Yisra’el. The highlands flatten; Yerushalayim is exalted. Yet the terrain is reshaped not only physically but grammatically. The binyanim—Niphal and Qal—encode divine agency, spatial reordering, and theological exaltation. Let us trace the contours of this prophecy not only in the hills and gates, but in the stems and syntax.
Verb-by-Verb Grammatical Analysis
1. יִסֹּב — Shall be turned
- Root: ס־ב־ב (“to turn, transform”)
- Binyan: Niphal (imperfect, 3ms)
- Voice: Passive
- Translation: “Shall be turned / transformed”
- Semantic Nuance: In this context, Niphal emphasizes a passive transformation: the land undergoes flattening, likely by divine action. Though Niphal can sometimes imply reflexivity, the context here demands passive interpretation—“the land shall be made as the ʿAravah.”
2. וְרָאֲמָה — And she shall be raised
- Root: ר־וּ־ם (“to be high”)
- Form: Morphologically irregular. Likely derived from a stative Qal form of רום. It is not the expected Qal perfect 3fs (רָמְתָה) nor the common vav-conversive form (וַתָּרָם). The form רָאֲמָה is rare and possibly Aramaic-influenced.
- Binyan: Qal (stative)
- Voice: Stative (describes a state of being)
- Translation: “She shall be high / exalted”
- Clarification: While listed as “active,” Qal verbs like רום often describe states. Thus, the better gloss is “she shall be lifted” or “become elevated”—a passive-resultative sense within Qal.
3. וְיָשְׁבָה — And she shall dwell
- Root: י־שׁ־ב (“to dwell, settle”)
- Binyan: Qal (vav-conversive, 3fs)
- Voice: Stative
- Translation: “She shall dwell / be inhabited”
- Commentary: The verb describes secure settlement. The phrase תַחְתֶּיהָ (“under herself”) is idiomatic, referring to the city resettling in its proper place, implying both restoration and permanence.
Grammatical Landscape Table
| Verb | Root | Binyan | Voice | Meaning | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| יִסֹּב | ס־ב־ב | Niphal | Passive | Shall be transformed | Flattening of land |
| וְרָאֲמָה | ר־וּ־ם | Qal (Stative) | Resultative | Shall be exalted | Elevation of Jerusalem |
| וְיָשְׁבָה | י־שׁ־ב | Qal (Stative) | Resultative | Shall dwell | Resettlement in place |
Discourse Analysis: Flattened and Re-centered
The land’s transformation is expressed in Niphal—a divine action on creation. Jerusalem’s elevation and settlement use Qal forms that describe new states of being. The verbs aren’t dynamic performances—they narrate the final outcome of divine intervention.
Together, the verse presents a radical topographic theology:
- Surrounding lands: passive, leveled, erased as obstacles.
- Jerusalem: elevated, restored, renewed in place and prominence.
How the Binyan Holds the Mountain
This vision of the future is grounded in verbs. יִסֹּב flattens the earth, וְרָאֲמָה raises Zion not by human effort but as a divine result, and וְיָשְׁבָה completes the arc: a city back in her place, inhabited, secure.
The morphology is the message. The Niphal and stative Qal forms enact the prophecy’s architecture—Jerusalem doesn’t conquer; she is raised and restored. Theology is built not only in stone but in binyan.