וָאֵ֡רֶא וְהִנֵּה֩ ר֨וּחַ סְעָרָ֜ה בָּאָ֣ה מִן־הַצָּפֹ֗ון עָנָ֤ן גָּדֹול֙ וְאֵ֣שׁ מִתְלַקַּ֔חַת וְנֹ֥גַֽהּ לֹ֖ו סָבִ֑יב וּמִ֨תֹּוכָ֔הּ כְּעֵ֥ין הַחַשְׁמַ֖ל מִתֹּ֥וךְ הָאֵֽשׁ׃
And I saw, and behold, a stormy wind was coming from the north, a great cloud, and fire taking hold of itself, and brightness was around it, and from the midst of it like the appearance of ḥashmal from the midst of the fire.
Morphology
- וָאֵרֶא (va-ʾereʾ) – Root: ראה; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 1st person common singular; Translation: “And I saw”; Notes: Narrative continuation with the waw-consecutive; introduces the visionary scene.
- וְהִנֵּה (ve-hinneh) – Root: נה (demonstrative particle); Form: Interjection; Translation: “and behold”; Notes: Introduces something unexpected or dramatic in the vision.
- רוּחַ (ruaḥ) – Root: רוח; Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “wind / spirit”; Notes: Here denotes a physical storm wind; can also mean “spirit.”
- סְעָרָה (seʿarah) – Root: סער; Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “storm / tempest”; Notes: Apposition to רוח, describing its violent nature.
- בָּאָה (baʾah) – Root: בוא; Form: Qal participle feminine singular; Translation: “coming”; Notes: Describes the continuous motion of the storm wind; agrees with רוח (feminine).
- מִן־הַצָּפון (min-ha-tsafon) – Root: צפון; Form: Preposition מִן + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “from the north”; Notes: Locative expression indicating origin of the storm.
- עָנָן (ʿanan) – Root: ענן; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “cloud”; Notes: Part of the vision imagery, often associated with divine presence.
- גָּדֹול (gadol) – Root: גדל; Form: Adjective masculine singular; Translation: “great”; Notes: Modifies עָנָן, emphasizing its size.
- וְאֵשׁ (ve-ʾesh) – Root: אשׁ; Form: Noun feminine singular with conjunction; Translation: “and fire”; Notes: Introduces another element of the vision.
- מִתְלַקַּחַת (mitlaqqakhat) – Root: לקח; Form: Hitpaʿel participle feminine singular; Translation: “taking hold of itself”; Notes: Reflexive/iterative nuance of flames grasping or flashing.
- וְנֹגהּ (ve-nogah) – Root: נגה; Form: Noun masculine singular with conjunction; Translation: “and brightness”; Notes: Refers to radiant light emitted by the vision.
- לֹו (lo) – Root: לו; Form: Preposition לְ + pronominal suffix 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “to it / around it”; Notes: Marks possession or association; here describing the radiance belonging to or surrounding it.
- סָבִיב (saviv) – Root: סבב; Form: Adverb; Translation: “around”; Notes: Spatial adverb specifying location of the brightness.
- וּמִתֹּוכָהּ (u-mitokhah) – Root: תוך; Form: Conjunction + preposition מִן + noun feminine singular with suffix 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “and from the midst of it”; Notes: Indicates source of the following phenomenon.
- כְּעֵין (ke-ʿein) – Root: עין; Form: Preposition כְּ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “like the appearance of”; Notes: Comparative phrase introducing simile.
- הַחַשְׁמַל (ha-ḥashmal) – Root: uncertain; Form: Noun masculine singular with article; Translation: “the ḥashmal”; Notes: A rare word, possibly denoting a radiant, glowing substance associated with divine manifestation. Interpreted as “amber,” “glowing metal,” “electrum,” “shining substance.” Its etymology is uncertain. Some suggest it may be related to a compound of ḥāsh (“silent”) and māl (“speech”) — possibly indicating a silent brilliance, or a divine radiance beyond words. In later Jewish tradition (e.g., Talmud, Ezekiel’s visions), ḥashmal takes on mystical significance, sometimes associated with divine light or even electricity (a modern interpretation due to the sound similarity to “electricity” in modern Hebrew, though this is anachronistic).
- מִתֹּוךְ (mitokh) – Root: תוך; Form: Preposition מִן + noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “from the midst of”; Notes: Indicates source or location.
- הָאֵשׁ (ha-ʾesh) – Root: אשׁ; Form: Noun feminine singular with article; Translation: “the fire”; Notes: Refers back to the blazing element described earlier.