Ezekiel 37:8

וְרָאִ֜יתִי וְהִנֵּֽה־עֲלֵיהֶ֤ם גִּדִים֙ וּבָשָׂ֣ר עָלָ֔ה וַיִּקְרַ֧ם עֲלֵיהֶ֛ם עֹ֖ור מִלְמָ֑עְלָה וְר֖וּחַ אֵ֥ין בָּהֶֽם׃

And I looked, and behold, there were sinews upon them, and flesh came up, and skin covered them above; but there was no breath in them.

Morphology

1. וְרָאִיתִי (ve-raʾiti) – Root: ראה (raʾah); Form: Conjunction וְ + Qal perfect 1st person singular; Translation: “and I looked” or “and I saw”; Notes: Marks Ezekiel’s active observation of the prophetic vision as it unfolds.
2. וְהִנֵּה (ve-hinneh) – Root: —; Form: Conjunction וְ + interjection; Translation: “and behold”; Notes: Expresses surprise and draws attention to what Ezekiel now perceives—the process of bodily restoration.
3. עֲלֵיהֶם (ʿaleihem) – Root: —; Form: Preposition עַל + suffix 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “upon them”; Notes: Refers to the bones from the previous verse, indicating the layering of new tissue.
4. גִּדִים (gidim) – Root: גיד (gid); Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “sinews”; Notes: Denotes tendons or ligaments—the connective tissues forming first upon the reassembled bones.
5. וּבָשָׂר (u-vasar) – Root: בשר (basar); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and flesh”; Notes: Represents the second stage of reformation—muscle and tissue covering the sinews.
6. עָלָה (ʿalah) – Root: עלה (ʿalah); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “came up”; Notes: Describes the flesh forming upward over the skeletons, a reversal of decomposition.
7. וַיִּקְרַם (va-yiqram) – Root: קרם (karam); Form: Conjunction וַ + Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and it covered”; Notes: Rare verb meaning “to cover with skin,” denoting the completion of physical restoration.
8. עֲלֵיהֶם (ʿaleihem) – Root: —; Form: Preposition עַל + suffix 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “upon them”; Notes: Repetition highlights the progressive layering—skin now lies above flesh and sinew.
9. עֹור (ʿor) – Root: עור (ʿor); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “skin”; Notes: The final external layer completing the physical formation of the bodies.
10. מִלְמָעְלָה (milmaʿlah) – Root: מעל (maʿal); Form: Preposition מִן + adverb; Translation: “from above” or “on top”; Notes: Describes the direction of the covering process, emphasizing completeness.
11. וְרוּחַ (ve-ruaḥ) – Root: רוח (ruaḥ); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun feminine singular; Translation: “and breath” or “and spirit”; Notes: Refers to the life-giving force still absent at this stage.
12. אֵין (ʾein) – Root: —; Form: Negative existential particle; Translation: “there was no”; Notes: Denies the presence of life despite full bodily reconstruction.
13. בָּהֶם (bahem) – Root: —; Form: Preposition בְּ + suffix 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “in them”; Notes: Indicates the absence of the life-giving spirit—the bodies are complete but lifeless, awaiting divine animation.