וְאַתָּ֤ה בֶן־אָדָם֙ הִנָּבֵ֣א עַל־גֹּ֔וג וְאָ֣מַרְתָּ֔ כֹּ֥ה אָמַ֖ר אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֑ה הִנְנִ֤י אֵלֶ֨יךָ֙ גֹּ֔וג נְשִׂ֕יא רֹ֖אשׁ מֶ֥שֶׁךְ וְתֻבָֽל׃
“And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord YHWH: “Behold, I am against you, Gog, Chief Prince of Meshekh and Tuval.
Morphology
- וְאַתָּה (ve-ʾattāh) – Root: אתה (ʾattāh); Form: Conjunction וְ + independent pronoun 2ms; Translation: “and you”; Notes: Direct address to the prophet Yeḥezqel, marking a transition in speech.
- בֶן־אָדָם (ben-ʾādām) – Root: בן (ben), אדם (ʾādam); Form: Noun construct “son of” + noun masculine singular “man”; Translation: “son of man”; Notes: Standard divine address to Yeḥezqel, emphasizing human frailty before YHWH.
- הִנָּבֵא (hināvēʾ) – Root: נבא (nāvaʾ); Form: Hitpael imperative 2ms; Translation: “prophesy”; Notes: Command form; the Hitpael stem here functions as a passive or reflexive of declaring a divine message.
- עַל־גֹּוג (ʿal-Gōg) – Root: על (ʿal), גוג (Gōg); Form: Preposition עַל + proper noun; Translation: “against Gog”; Notes: Preposition indicates the object of prophetic judgment.
- וְאָמַרְתָּ (ve-ʾamarta) – Root: אמר (ʾāmar); Form: Conjunction וְ + Qal perfect 2ms; Translation: “and say”; Notes: Sequential command; YHWH instructs the prophet to proclaim His message.
- כֹּה (koh) – Root: —; Form: Adverb; Translation: “thus”; Notes: Introduces the direct prophetic oracle that follows.
- אָמַר (ʾāmar) – Root: אמר (ʾāmar); Form: Qal perfect 3ms; Translation: “says”; Notes: Regular prophetic formula introducing YHWH’s speech.
- אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonāy) – Root: אדן (ʾādan); Form: Plural of majesty with possessive meaning “my Lord”; Translation: “Lord”; Notes: Title of sovereignty used before the divine name to express reverence.
- יְהוִה (YHWH) – Root: הוה (havāh); Form: Proper divine name; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The covenantal name of the God of Yisraʾel, signifying eternal being and self-existence.
- הִנְנִי (hinnenī) – Root: הנה (hinneh); Form: Interjection + suffix 1cs; Translation: “behold, I”; Notes: Marks divine self-presentation introducing direct action.
- אֵלֶיךָ (ʾēlekhā) – Root: אל (ʾel); Form: Preposition אֶל + suffix 2ms; Translation: “against you”; Notes: Specifies Gog as the target of divine confrontation.
- גֹּוג (Gōg) – Root: גוג (Gōg); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Gog”; Notes: The prophetic figure symbolizing a northern coalition opposed to YHWH’s people.
- נְשִׂיא (nesīʾ) – Root: נשא (nāśāʾ); Form: Noun masculine singular absolute; Translation: “prince”; Notes: Denotes a ruler or chief, highlighting Gog’s political or military status.
- רֹאשׁ (rōʾsh) – Root: ראשׁ (rōʾsh); Form: Noun masculine singular absolute; Translation: “chief”; Notes: Can mean “head,” here used as a title—“Chief Prince.”
- מֶשֶׁךְ (Meshekh) – Root: משך (māshakh); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Meshekh”; Notes: Name of an ancient Anatolian people mentioned among the sons of Yefet (Genesis 10:2).
- וְתֻבָל (ve-Tuval) – Root: תבל (Tūval); Form: Conjunction וְ + proper noun; Translation: “and Tuval”; Notes: Another nation descended from Yefet, often paired with Meshekh in prophetic oracles concerning northern powers.