בֶּן־אָדָ֕ם אֱמָר־לָ֕הּ אַ֣תְּ אֶ֔רֶץ לֹ֥א מְטֹהָרָ֖ה הִ֑יא לֹ֥א גֻשְׁמָ֖הּ בְּיֹ֥ום זָֽעַם׃
“Son of man, say to her: ‘You are a land not cleansed; it is not rained upon in the day of indignation.’
Morphology
- בֶּן־אָדָם (ben-ʾadam) – Root: בן (ben), אדם (ʾadam); Form: Construct noun + absolute noun masculine singular; Translation: “son of man”; Notes: Formulaic address to Yeḥezqel, stressing human mortality.
- אֱמָר (ʾemar) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal imperative 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “say”; Notes: Command to the prophet to deliver YHWH’s message.
- לָהּ (lah) – Root: ל; Form: Preposition לְ + third person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “to her”; Notes: Refers to the land of Yisraʾel, personified as feminine.
- אַתְּ (ʾat) – Root: pronoun; Form: Independent personal pronoun 2nd person feminine singular; Translation: “you”; Notes: Direct address to the land.
- אֶרֶץ (ʾerets) – Root: ארץ (ʾerets); Form: Noun feminine singular absolute; Translation: “land”; Notes: Refers to the land of Yisraʾel.
- לֹא (lo) – Root: particle; Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates the following description.
- מְטֹהָרָה (metoharah) – Root: טהר (ṭahar); Form: Pual participle feminine singular; Translation: “cleansed”; Notes: Indicates ritual or moral purification, here denied.
- הִיא (hiʾ) – Root: pronoun; Form: Independent pronoun 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “she/it”; Notes: Refers back to the land.
- לֹא (lo) – Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Second negation for parallel emphasis.
- גֻשְׁמָהּ (gushmah) – Root: גשׁם (geshem); Form: Pual perfect 3rd person feminine singular with 3rd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “it was rained upon”; Notes: Passive form describing absence of rain as judgment.
- בְּיֹום (be-yom) – Root: יום (yom); Form: Preposition בְ + noun masculine singular absolute; Translation: “in the day”; Notes: Time reference for the calamity.
- זָעַם (zaʿam) – Root: זעם (zaʿam); Form: Noun masculine singular absolute; Translation: “indignation”; Notes: Refers to divine wrath, especially in prophetic contexts of judgment.