בֶּן־אָדָ֕ם הִנָּבֵא֙ וְאָ֣מַרְתָּ֔ כֹּ֖ה אָמַ֣ר אֲדֹנָ֑י אֱמֹ֕ר חֶ֥רֶב חֶ֛רֶב הוּחַ֖דָּה וְגַם־מְרוּטָֽה׃
Son of man, prophesy and you shall say, ‘Thus says my Lord:’ Say, ‘A sword, a sword; it is sharpened and also polished!
Morphology
- בֶּן (ben) – Root: בן; Form: Noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “son of”; Notes: Forms the address formula with “man.”
- אָדָם (ʾadam) – Root: אדם; Form: Noun masculine singular absolute; Translation: “man”; Notes: With “son” gives the vocative “son of man.”
- הִנָּבֵא (hinnave) – Root: נבא; Form: Hitpael imperative 2ms; Translation: “prophesy”; Notes: Command to deliver YHWH’s message.
- וְאָמַרְתָּ (ve-ʾamarta) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal perfect 2ms with waw consecutive (future/injunctive); Translation: “and you shall say”; Notes: Introduces the quoted divine formula.
- כֹּה (koh) – Root: —; Form: Adverb; Translation: “thus”; Notes: Standard prophetic introduction.
- אָמַר (ʾamar) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal perfect 3ms (performative); Translation: “says”; Notes: Divine proclamation formula.
- אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonai) – Root: אדן; Form: Plural form with 1cs sense (“my Lord”); Translation: “my Lord”; Notes: Reverential title for the God of Yisraʾel.
- אֱמֹר (ʾemor) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal imperative 2ms; Translation: “say”; Notes: Explicit directive to utter the following words.
- חֶרֶב (ḥerev) – Root: חרב; Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “sword”; Notes: First emphatic mention; symbol of judgment.
- חֶרֶב (ḥerev) – Root: חרב; Form: Noun feminine singular (repeated); Translation: “sword”; Notes: Repetition heightens urgency and certainty.
- הוּחַדָּה (huhaddah) – Root: חדד; Form: Pual perfect 3fs; Translation: “it is sharpened”; Notes: Passive intensive; subject is the feminine “sword.”
- וְגַם (ve-gam) – Root: —; Form: Conjunction + adverb; Translation: “and also”; Notes: Adds a second descriptive state.
- מְרוּטָה (merutah) – Root: מרט; Form: Pual participle feminine singular; Translation: “polished”; Notes: Gleaming/ready for use, intensifying the threat imagery.