בַּיֹּ֣ום הַה֡וּא יִפְקֹ֣ד יְהוָה֩ בְּחַרְבֹ֨ו הַקָּשָׁ֜ה וְהַגְּדֹולָ֣ה וְהַֽחֲזָקָ֗ה עַ֤ל לִוְיָתָן֙ נָחָ֣שׁ בָּרִ֔חַ וְעַל֙ לִוְיָתָ֔ן נָחָ֖שׁ עֲקַלָּתֹ֑ון וְהָרַ֥ג אֶת־הַתַּנִּ֖ין אֲשֶׁ֥ר בַּיָּֽם׃ (Isaiah 27:1)
On that day YHWH will visit with His sword—the hard and the great and the strong—upon Leviathan the fleeing serpent, and upon Leviathan the twisting serpent, and He will slay the sea monster that is in the sea
Overview: Battle of the Stems
Isaiah 27:1 is a vivid apocalyptic oracle. The verse thrums with energy, poetic terror, and divine justice. At the core of this drama are two power-packed verbs—יִפְקֹד and וְהָרַ֥ג—whose binyanim serve as literary weapons themselves. These stems are not just vehicles of action; they echo divine intent. Let’s see how Qal works differently in each instance, and what semantic load it bears in this climactic judgment scene.
Verbs and Their Binyanim
1. יִפְקֹד — “will visit”
2. וְהָרַג — “and He will slay”
1. יִפְקֹד — Qal Imperfect, 3ms
Root: פָקַד (to attend to, visit, muster, punish)
Binyan: Qal
Voice: Active
Form:
– Prefix יִ־: Imperfect 3ms
– Root consonants: פ־ק־ד
– Qal vowel pattern: yiqtol form with simple action.
Semantic Insight:
– Paqad in Qal is a famously versatile verb.
– Here it means more than “visit”—it’s a judicial intervention: YHWH is coming with His sword to punish, to reckon.
– The Qal stem conveys that YHWH Himself initiates the action—direct, unsparing, sovereign.
Literary Note:
– This isn’t a casual visit; this is warfare liturgy.
– Qal allows for a clean delivery of force without internal complication—YHWH acts alone and decisively.
2. וְהָרַ֥ג — Qal Perfect with Conjunction, 3ms
Root: הָרַג (to kill)
Binyan: Qal
Voice: Active
Form:
– Conjunction וְ: and
– Root consonants: ה־ר־ג
– Full form: simple Qal Perfect 3ms
Semantic Insight:
– Used poetically here, future with perfect form: “He will slay.”
– This shows that YHWH’s decision is already as good as done.
– The verb’s simplicity in Qal belies its force: absolute termination.
Stylistic Note:
– The Qal binyan expresses finality with unrelenting economy.
– Isaiah could’ve used Piel for dramatic intensification, but Qal is chosen—like a clean strike.
Power Comparison: Swords, Serpents, and Syntax
| Verb | Root | Binyan | Voice | Function | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| יִפְקֹד | פקד | Qal | Active | YHWH intervenes judicially | Initiates divine judgment |
| וְהָרַג | הרג | Qal | Active | YHWH slays the sea monster | Declares final destruction |
The Quiet Terror of Qal
Qal is often described as the “simple” stem. But in this verse, it cuts with scalpel precision. There’s no need for causation (Hiphil), intensification (Piel), or reflexivity (Hitpael). Instead, Isaiah’s God acts in stark sovereignty: He visits, and He kills.
The binyanim here reinforce a vision of measured judgment, not chaotic wrath. Like YHWH’s sword—קָשָׁה, גְּדֹולָה, חֲזָקָה—the verbs are finely tempered: enough to pierce Leviathan without embellishment.
In the end, it’s the unornamented Qal that delivers the most devastating cut.
