וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַ֗י בֶּן־אָדָם֙ שֹׁולֵ֨חַ אֲנִ֤י אֹֽותְךָ֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶל־גֹּויִ֥ם הַמֹּורְדִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר מָרְדוּ־בִ֑י הֵ֤מָּה וַאֲבֹותָם֙ פָּ֣שְׁעוּ בִ֔י עַד־עֶ֖צֶם הַיֹּ֥ום הַזֶּֽה׃
And he said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Yisraʾel, to the nations who are rebelling, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me until this very day.
Morphology
- וַיֹּאמֶר (va-yomer) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And he said”; Notes: Introduces divine speech.
- אֵלַי (ʾelai) – Root: אל; Form: Preposition אֶל + first person common singular suffix; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Indicates Ezekiel as the addressee.
- בֶּן־אָדָם (ben-ʾadam) – Root: בן / אדם; Form: Construct chain: noun masculine singular construct + noun masculine singular absolute; Translation: “Son of man”; Notes: Title emphasizing Ezekiel’s humanity in contrast with the divine.
- שֹׁולֵחַ (sholeaḥ) – Root: שלח; Form: Qal participle masculine singular; Translation: “am sending”; Notes: Ongoing action emphasizing the commission.
- אֲנִי (ʾani) – Root: —; Form: Independent pronoun; Translation: “I”; Notes: Stresses that YHWH himself is commissioning Ezekiel.
- אֹותְךָ (ʾotkha) – Root: —; Form: Direct object marker + 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers directly to Ezekiel as the one being sent.
- אֶל־ (ʾel) – Root: אל; Form: Preposition; Translation: “to”; Notes: Marks the destination of Ezekiel’s mission.
- בְּנֵי (bene) – Root: בן; Form: Noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “children of”; Notes: Used frequently to denote descendants or members of a people.
- יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisraʾel) – Root: ישראל; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yisraʾel”; Notes: The covenant people of YHWH.
- אֶל־ (ʾel) – Root: אל; Form: Preposition; Translation: “to”; Notes: Marks a second object of mission.
- גֹּויִם (goyim) – Root: גוי; Form: Noun masculine plural absolute; Translation: “nations”; Notes: Here used pejoratively of the rebellious factions of Yisraʾel.
- הַמֹּורְדִים (ha-mordim) – Root: מרד; Form: Definite article + Qal participle masculine plural; Translation: “the ones rebelling”; Notes: Describes their continual defiance of YHWH.
- אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) – Root: —; Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “who/that”; Notes: Introduces a relative clause describing the nations.
- מָרְדוּ (mardu) – Root: מרד; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they rebelled”; Notes: Past act of rebellion against YHWH.
- בִי (bi) – Root: —; Form: Preposition ב + first person common singular suffix; Translation: “against me”; Notes: Indicates rebellion directly opposed to YHWH.
- הֵמָּה (hemmah) – Root: —; Form: Independent pronoun masculine plural; Translation: “they”; Notes: Subject pronoun emphasizing rebellious people.
- וַאֲבֹותָם (va-ʾavotam) – Root: אב; Form: Conjunction ו + noun masculine plural absolute + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “and their fathers”; Notes: Extends the charge of rebellion to previous generations.
- פָּשְׁעוּ (pashʿu) – Root: פשׁע; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they transgressed”; Notes: Stronger than “rebelled,” carries sense of breaking covenant.
- בִי (bi) – Root: —; Form: Preposition ב + first person common singular suffix; Translation: “against me”; Notes: Repeated emphasis of direct defiance of YHWH.
- עַד־ (ʿad) – Root: עד; Form: Preposition; Translation: “until”; Notes: Indicates duration of rebellion.
- עֶצֶם (ʿetsem) – Root: עצם; Form: Noun masculine singular absolute; Translation: “very/essence”; Notes: Intensifier meaning “the very.”
- הַיֹּום (ha-yom) – Root: יום; Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the day”; Notes: Refers to the current time.
- הַזֶּה (ha-zeh) – Root: זה; Form: Demonstrative pronoun masculine singular; Translation: “this”; Notes: Emphasizes the persistence of rebellion up to Ezekiel’s day.