Ezekiel 44:1

וַיָּ֣שֶׁב אֹתִ֗י דֶּ֣רֶךְ שַׁ֤עַר הַמִּקְדָּשׁ֙ הַֽחִיצֹ֔ון הַפֹּנֶ֖ה קָדִ֑ים וְה֖וּא סָגֽוּר׃

And he brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces east, and it was shut.

Morphology

1. וַיָּשֶׁב (va-yashev) – Root: שׁוב (shuv); Form: Hifil wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And he brought back”; Notes: The Hifil form conveys causative meaning — “to cause to return” or “to bring back.” Here, the divine guide (angel) brings the prophet back along the path.
2. אֹתִי (oti) – Root: —; Form: Direct object pronoun 1st person common singular; Translation: “me”; Notes: The prophet Ezekiel is the object of the action, being led in the visionary journey.
3. דֶּרֶךְ (derekh) – Root: דרך (darakh); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “by the way” or “along the way”; Notes: Refers to the path or passage the prophet is guided through.
4. שַׁעַר (shaʿar) – Root: שער (shaʿar); Form: Noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “the gate”; Notes: Refers specifically to the eastern gate of the temple complex in Ezekiel’s vision.
5. הַמִּקְדָּשׁ (ha-miqdash) – Root: קדשׁ (qadash); Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “of the sanctuary”; Notes: The temple or holy precinct in Ezekiel’s visionary temple structure.
6. הַחִיצֹון (ha-ḥitson) – Root: חוץ (ḥuts); Form: Definite adjective masculine singular; Translation: “the outer”; Notes: Describes the outermost gate, in contrast to the inner temple gates — denotes physical and symbolic distance from the Most Holy Place.
7. הַפֹּנֶה (ha-poneh) – Root: פנה (panah); Form: Definite active participle masculine singular Qal; Translation: “which faces”; Notes: The participle describes orientation — the gate is positioned toward the east, symbolically linked with divine glory.
8. קָדִים (qadim) – Root: קדם (qadam); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “east”; Notes: The eastern direction in Ezekiel’s visions is often associated with the coming of YHWH’s glory.
9. וְהוּא (ve-hu) – Root: —; Form: Conjunction וְ + independent pronoun masculine singular; Translation: “and it was”; Notes: Introduces a state or condition of the gate.
10. סָגוּר (sagur) – Root: סגר (sagar); Form: Passive participle masculine singular; Translation: “shut” or “closed”; Notes: Indicates the gate’s sealed state, which will have theological significance in the following verses — representing divine exclusivity and holiness.