Euphony in Isaiah 49

The Hebrew of Isaiah 49:17 is beautifully symmetrical. Transliterated, it reads: miharu banayik meharsayik umacharivayik mimmek yetze’u .

The endings of the six words form a neat pattern: one – u followed by four words ending with the second person singular pronomial suffix ( k ), and then another – u at the end. Four of the words begin with mem , and three of them begin with mhr (or, mchr ). Three words in a row end with the pronomial suffix end and sound like ayik .

The effect is to establish sound connections between the haste of the sons ( mahar ) and the destroyers ( maharsayik ) and wasters ( macharivayik ) who are said to go out from Zion. It appears that the verse describes contrary movements: The hasty return of the exiled sons of Zion and the expulsion of the destroyers.

We could render the effect in English: Make haste; gone are those who waste.