וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַ֗י בֶּן־אָדָם֙ בִּטְנְךָ֤ תַֽאֲכֵל֙ וּמֵעֶ֣יךָ תְמַלֵּ֔א אֵ֚ת הַמְּגִלָּ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֲנִ֖י נֹתֵ֣ן אֵלֶ֑יךָ וָאֹ֣כְלָ֔ה וַתְּהִ֥י בְּפִ֖י כִּדְבַ֥שׁ לְמָתֹֽוק׃ פ
And he said to me, “Son of man, your belly you shall eat, and your inward parts you shall fill with this scroll that I am giving to you.” And I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey for sweetness.
Morphology
- וַיֹּאמֶר (va-yomer) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And he said”; Notes: Formula introducing divine speech.
- אֵלַי (ʾelai) – Root: אל; Form: Preposition אֶל + first person common singular suffix; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Directs the speech to Ezekiel.
- בֶּן־אָדָם (ben-ʾadam) – Root: בן / אדם; Form: Construct chain: noun masculine singular construct + noun masculine singular absolute; Translation: “Son of man”; Notes: Title given to Ezekiel, emphasizing human status.
- בִּטְנְךָ (bitnekha) – Root: בטן; Form: Noun feminine singular construct + 2nd person masculine singular suffix with preposition ב; Translation: “your belly”; Notes: Refers to the inner body, symbolic of inward reception.
- תַאֲכֵל (taʾakhel) – Root: אכל; Form: Qal imperfect 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “you shall eat”; Notes: Instructional future, not merely possibility but command.
- וּמֵעֶיךָ (u-meʿekha) – Root: מעי; Form: Conjunction ו + noun masculine plural construct + 2nd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “and your inward parts”; Notes: Symbol of inner being, seat of emotions and thought.
- תְמַלֵּא (temalle) – Root: מלא; Form: Piel imperfect 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “you shall fill”; Notes: Intensive nuance: completely fill the inner being.
- אֵת (ʾet) – Root: —; Form: Direct object marker; Translation: [not translated]; Notes: Marks the definite object “this scroll.”
- הַמְּגִלָּה (ha-megillah) – Root: גלל; Form: Definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “the scroll”; Notes: The object Ezekiel must ingest, symbolizing the word of YHWH.
- הַזֹּאת (ha-zot) – Root: זה; Form: Demonstrative pronoun feminine singular; Translation: “this”; Notes: Specifies the scroll given to Ezekiel.
- אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) – Root: —; Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “that/which”; Notes: Links the scroll to YHWH’s action.
- אֲנִי (ʾani) – Root: —; Form: Independent pronoun; Translation: “I”; Notes: Emphasizes YHWH as subject of the giving.
- נֹתֵן (noten) – Root: נתן; Form: Qal participle masculine singular; Translation: “am giving”; Notes: Denotes continuous action of YHWH imparting the scroll.
- אֵלֶיךָ (ʾeleikha) – Root: אל; Form: Preposition אֶל + second person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Marks Ezekiel as recipient.
- וָאֹכְלָה (va-okhla) – Root: אכל; Form: Qal wayyiqtol cohortative 1st person common singular; Translation: “And I ate”; Notes: Expresses voluntary and willing participation in the act.
- וַתְּהִי (va-tehi) – Root: היה; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “and it was”; Notes: Describes the outcome of eating the scroll.
- בְּפִי (be-fi) – Root: פה; Form: Preposition ב + noun masculine singular construct + 1st person common singular suffix; Translation: “in my mouth”; Notes: Location where the sweetness is experienced.
- כִּדְבַשׁ (ki-devash) – Root: דבשׁ; Form: Preposition כְּ + noun masculine singular absolute; Translation: “like honey”; Notes: Comparison to honey, symbol of delight.
- לְמָתֹוק (le-matok) – Root: מתק; Form: Preposition ל + noun masculine singular absolute; Translation: “for sweetness”; Notes: Emphasizes the pleasantness of receiving YHWH’s word.