וָאֲדַבֵּ֤ר אֶל־הָעָם֙ בַּבֹּ֔קֶר וַתָּ֥מָת אִשְׁתִּ֖י בָּעָ֑רֶב וָאַ֥עַשׂ בַּבֹּ֖קֶר כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר צֻוֵּֽיתִי׃
And I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening, and I did in the morning as I was commanded.
Morphology
- וָאֲדַבֵּר (va-adabber) – Root: דבר (davar); Form: Piel wayyiqtol (narrative past) 1st person common singular; Translation: “And I spoke”; Notes: Emphasizes the prophet’s declaration to the people.
- אֶל־הָעָם (ʾel-haʿam) – Root: עם (ʿam); Form: Preposition אֶל + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “to the people”; Notes: Refers to the community addressed by Yeḥezqel.
- בַּבֹּקֶר (ba-boqer) – Root: בקר (boqer); Form: Preposition בְּ + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “in the morning”; Notes: Time indicator, marking prophetic activity at daybreak.
- וַתָּמָת (va-tamat) – Root: מות (mut); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “and she died”; Notes: Refers to the prophet’s wife.
- אִשְׁתִּי (ishti) – Root: אשה (ishah); Form: Noun feminine singular construct + 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “my wife”; Notes: The prophet’s spouse, taken as a sign-act.
- בָּעָרֶב (ba-ʿarev) – Root: ערב (ʿerev); Form: Preposition בְּ + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “in the evening”; Notes: Marks time of death, contrasting with the morning.
- וָאַעַשׂ (va-aʿas) – Root: עשׂה (ʿasah); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 1st person common singular; Translation: “and I did”; Notes: Prophet’s obedience in action.
- בַּבֹּקֶר (ba-boqer) – Root: בקר (boqer); Form: Preposition בְּ + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “in the morning”; Notes: Time indicator, framing the obedience immediately following his wife’s death.
- כַּאֲשֶׁר (kaʾasher) – Root: אשר (ʾasher); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “as/according to that which”; Notes: Introduces the standard of obedience.
- צֻוֵּיתִי (tsuvveti) – Root: צוה (tsavah); Form: Pual perfect 1st person common singular; Translation: “I was commanded”; Notes: Passive intensive form—Yeḥezqel acted strictly as commanded by YHWH.