וָאֵ֖רֶא הַחַיֹּ֑ות וְהִנֵּה֩ אֹופַ֨ן אֶחָ֥ד בָּאָ֛רֶץ אֵ֥צֶל הַחַיֹּ֖ות לְאַרְבַּ֥עַת פָּנָֽיו׃
And I saw the living creatures, and behold, one wheel was on the earth beside the living creatures, toward its four faces.
Morphology
- וָאֵרֶא (va-ʾereʾ) – Root: ראה; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 1st person common singular; Translation: “And I saw”; Notes: Narrative continuation marking the prophet’s perception of the vision.
- הַחַיֹּות (ha-ḥayyot) – Root: חיה; Form: Noun feminine plural with article; Translation: “the living creatures”; Notes: Refers back to the four beings described in the vision.
- וְהִנֵּה (ve-hinneh) – Root: particle; Form: Interjection; Translation: “and behold”; Notes: Signals the sudden appearance of a new element in the vision.
- אֹופַן (ʾofan) – Root: אופן; Form: Noun masculine singular absolute; Translation: “wheel”; Notes: First mention of the visionary wheels, a key motif in Ezekiel’s vision.
- אֶחָד (eḥad) – Root: אחד; Form: Numeral masculine singular; Translation: “one”; Notes: Specifies singularity of the wheel.
- בָּאָרֶץ (ba-ʾarets) – Root: ארץ; Form: Preposition בְּ + noun feminine singular with article; Translation: “on the earth”; Notes: Locative expression grounding the vision physically.
- אֵצֶל (ʾetzel) – Root: אצל; Form: Preposition; Translation: “beside / near”; Notes: Indicates proximity of the wheel to the living creatures.
- הַחַיֹּות (ha-ḥayyot) – Root: חיה; Form: Noun feminine plural with article; Translation: “the living creatures”; Notes: Repetition underscores their connection with the wheels.
- לְאַרְבַּעַת (le-arbaʿat) – Root: ארבע; Form: Preposition לְ + cardinal numeral masculine construct; Translation: “toward the four of”; Notes: Construct form governs פָּנָיו, indicating orientation.
- פָּנָיו (panav) – Root: פנה; Form: Noun masculine plural form (faces) with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “its faces”; Notes: Hebrew plural form of “face” used with singular suffix; describes the fourfold orientation of the wheel.