What is the best translation for וַתְּהִ֥י in Ezekiel 19:14?

Question

Ezekiel 19:14 New International Version

Fire spread from one of its main branches and consumed its fruit. No strong branch is left on it fit for a ruler's scepter.' "This is a lament and is to be used as a lament."

English Standard Version

And fire has gone out from the stem of its shoots, has consumed its fruit, so that there remains in it no strong stem, no scepter for ruling. This is a lamentation and has become a lamentation.

Berean Study Bible

Fire has gone out from its main branch and devoured its fruit; on it no strong branch remains fit for a ruler’s scepter.’ This is a lament and shall be used as a lament.”

and shall be used
וַתְּהִ֥י (wat·tə·hî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

There are other variations in https://biblehub.com/ezekiel/19-14.htm, most of the translations have the word "shall" in it.

Answer 1

The verb וַתְּהִי means can mean both "and it was" and "and it has become." The difference has to be found grammatically in the following word לְקִינָה. The ל indicates that the meaning of the verb is "and it has become," which is the correct translation, as וַתְּהִי ל is translated frequently throughout Tanakh. Most likely that the translators who use the word "shall" are voweling the word as וּתְהִי instead of וַתְּהִי, in which case, the word would be imperfect and would mean "and may it become." They mistranslate this as "and it shall become" by forgetting that this verb would be jussive.