בֶּן־אָדָ֗ם נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּ֣ר מֶֽלֶךְ־֠בָּבֶל הֶעֱבִ֨יד אֶת־חֵילֹ֜ו עֲבֹדָ֤ה גְדֹלָה֙ אֶל־צֹ֔ר כָּל־רֹ֣אשׁ מֻקְרָ֔ח וְכָל־כָּתֵ֖ף מְרוּטָ֑ה וְ֠שָׂכָר לֹא־הָ֨יָה לֹ֤ו וּלְחֵילֹו֙ מִצֹּ֔ר עַל־הָעֲבֹדָ֖ה אֲשֶׁר־עָבַ֥ד עָלֶֽיהָ׃ ס
“Son of man, Nebukhadretstsar king of Bavel made his army labor a great labor against Tsor; every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled, yet he and his army had no reward from Tsor for the labor which he labored against it.
Morphology
- בֶּן־אָדָם (ben-ʾadam) – Root: אדם (ʾadam); Form: Noun masculine singular construct + noun masculine singular; Translation: “Son of man”; Notes: Common divine address to Yeḥezqel, emphasizing his human frailty in contrast to YHWH’s sovereignty.
- נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר (Nevukhadretstsar) – Root: —; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Nebukhadretstsar”; Notes: The Babylonian king who besieged Tyre; corresponds to Nebuchadnezzar in conventional English form.
- מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל (melekh-Bavel) – Root: מלך (melek); Form: Noun masculine singular construct + proper noun; Translation: “king of Babel”; Notes: Title identifying Nebukhadretstsar as ruler of Babylon.
- הֶעֱבִיד (heʿevid) – Root: עבד (ʿavad); Form: Hifil perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “made labor” or “caused to serve”; Notes: Causative action—Nebukhadretstsar compelled his army to undertake great effort.
- אֶת־חֵילֹו (et-ḥeilo) – Root: חיל (ḥayil); Form: Direct object marker + noun masculine singular + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “his army”; Notes: Refers to the military force under Nebukhadretstsar’s command.
- עֲבֹדָה (ʿavodah) – Root: עבד (ʿavad); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “labor” or “work”; Notes: Refers to strenuous military exertion in siege warfare.
- גְדֹלָה (gedolah) – Root: גדל (gadal); Form: Adjective feminine singular; Translation: “great”; Notes: Qualifies “labor,” emphasizing the magnitude of effort expended in the siege.
- אֶל־צֹר (el-Tsor) – Root: צור (Tsor); Form: Preposition אֶל + proper noun; Translation: “against Tsor”; Notes: Refers to the city of Tyre, target of Nebukhadretstsar’s prolonged siege.
- כָּל־רֹאשׁ (kol-roʾsh) – Root: ראשׁ (roʾsh); Form: Noun masculine singular in construct; Translation: “every head”; Notes: Hyperbolic imagery of exhaustion and suffering among soldiers.
- מֻקְרָח (muqraḥ) – Root: קרח (qarach); Form: Pual participle masculine singular; Translation: “was made bald”; Notes: Indicates physical wear from helmet friction or hardship during siege labor.
- וְכָל־כָּתֵף (ve-kol-katef) – Root: כתף (katef); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun feminine singular construct; Translation: “and every shoulder”; Notes: Symbol of physical strain from carrying burdens during the siege.
- מְרוּטָה (merutah) – Root: מרט (marat); Form: Pual participle feminine singular; Translation: “was peeled”; Notes: Describes the soldiers’ raw or chafed shoulders from prolonged labor.
- וְשָׂכָר (ve-sakhar) – Root: שׂכר (sakar); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and reward”; Notes: Introduces the clause emphasizing the absence of compensation for their toil.
- לֹא־הָיָה (lo-hayah) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Negative particle לֹא + Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “was not”; Notes: Denotes the lack of outcome or recompense for the Babylonian campaign.
- לוֹ (lo) – Root: ל (lamed); Form: Preposition לְ + third person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “for him”; Notes: Refers to Nebukhadretstsar personally, who received no spoils from Tyre.
- וּלְחֵילֹו (u-le-ḥeilo) – Root: חיל (ḥayil); Form: Conjunction וְ + Preposition לְ + noun masculine singular + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “and for his army”; Notes: Indicates shared deprivation between the king and his troops.
- מִצֹּר (mi-Tsor) – Root: צור (Tsor); Form: Preposition מִן + proper noun; Translation: “from Tsor”; Notes: Specifies the source of unrewarded effort—the city they besieged.
- עַל־הָעֲבֹדָה (ʿal-ha-ʿavodah) – Root: עבד (ʿavad); Form: Preposition עַל + definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “for the labor”; Notes: Denotes the work or campaign for which no compensation was given.
- אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) – Root: —; Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces the subordinate clause describing the action performed by Nebukhadretstsar’s forces.
- עָבַד (ʿavad) – Root: עבד (ʿavad); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “he labored”; Notes: Depicts the king’s representative effort—his army’s toil viewed collectively as his own.
- עָלֶיהָ (ʿaleha) – Root: על (ʿal); Form: Preposition עַל + third person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “against it”; Notes: Refers to Tyre as the object of the labor and siege activity.