מִ֭תַּחַת שָֽׁרָשָׁ֣יו יִבָ֑שׁוּ וּ֝מִמַּ֗עַל יִמַּ֥ל קְצִירֹֽו׃
(Job 18:16)
From beneath his roots they dry up, and from above his harvest withers.
“Don’t worry if it feels strange—each word you decode is another brick in your Hebrew foundation!”
Word-by-Word Explanation
- מִתַּחַת — “from beneath.” The preposition מִן (“from”) joined to תַּחַת (“under, beneath”).
- שָׁרָשָׁיו — “his roots.” From שֹׁרֶשׁ (“root”) with plural + possessive suffix -ָיו (“his”).
- יִבָשׁוּ — “they dry up.” Imperfect 3rd masculine plural from the root meaning “to dry/wither,” with שָׁרָשָׁיו (“his roots”) as the subject.
- וּמִמַּעַל — “and from above.” Conjunction וּ (“and”) + מִן (“from”) + מַעַל (“above”); the doubled מ shows the assimilation of מִן.
- יִמַּל — “it withers/fades.” Imperfect 3rd masculine singular from a verb meaning “to wither, languish.” The subject is the next word, קְצִירֹו.
- קְצִירֹו — “his harvest.” Noun קָצִיר (“harvest, crop”) + suffix -ֹו (“his”).
Word Order and Sentence Flow
Hebrew poetry often paints its picture in two balanced strokes (parallelism):
- מִתַּחַת שָׁרָשָׁיו יִבָשׁוּ — the damage begins below: “from beneath his roots they dry up.”
- וּמִמַּעַל יִמַּל קְצִירֹו — the ruin reaches above: “and from above his harvest withers.”
Together the two lines show total collapse—from the unseen roots underground to the visible crops overhead.
Parallelism at a Glance
| From Below | From Above |
|---|---|
| מִתַּחַת שָׁרָשָׁיו from beneath his roots |
וּמִמַּעַל קְצִירֹו and from above his harvest |
| יִבָשׁוּ they dry up |
יִמַּל it withers |
How the Sentence Works (Beginner View)
- Two prepositional phrases set the stage: מִתַּחַת (“from beneath”) and וּמִמַּעַל (“and from above”). Think of arrows pointing up and down.
- Two imperfect verbs (יִבָשׁוּ, יִמַּל) describe what happens: drying and withering—an ongoing, unfolding scene.
- Pronouns by suffix: possession is shown by endings like -ָיו (“his” roots) and -וֹ (“his” harvest).
“Now You See the Structure”
One short verse, two balanced lines, the same grim result: what feeds life below and what shows life above both fail. You’ve tracked the prepositions, spotted the imperfect verbs, and read the possessive endings—all in real Biblical Hebrew. Keep going: these patterns will greet you again and again, and you’ll recognize them faster every time.
