וַיְהִ֞י בִּשְׁתֵּ֧י עֶשְׂרֵ֣ה שָׁנָ֗ה בָּעֲשִׂרִ֛י בַּחֲמִשָּׁ֥ה לַחֹ֖דֶשׁ לְגָלוּתֵ֑נוּ בָּא־אֵלַ֨י הַפָּלִ֧יט מִירוּשָׁלִַ֛ם לֵאמֹ֖ר הֻכְּתָ֥ה הָעִֽיר׃
And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the tenth month, on the fifth of the month, of our exile, that the fugitive came to me from Yerushalayim, saying, “The city has been struck down.”
Morphology
- וַיְהִי (va-yehi) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And it came to pass”; Notes: Introduces a new narrative event marking a significant prophetic moment.
- בִּשְׁתֵּי (bishtei) – Root: שׁנים (shanim); Form: Preposition בְּ + dual construct form; Translation: “in the twelfth”; Notes: Used with ordinal sense referring to the twelfth year.
- עֶשְׂרֵה (ʿesreh) – Root: עשר (ʿasar); Form: Numeral (feminine form of “ten”); Translation: “twelve”; Notes: Completes the phrase “in the twelfth year.”
- שָׁנָה (shanah) – Root: שׁנה (shanah); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “year”; Notes: Marks the time reference for the event.
- בָּעֲשִׂרִי (ba-ʿasiri) – Root: עשר (ʿasar); Form: Preposition בְּ + ordinal masculine singular; Translation: “in the tenth”; Notes: Specifies the tenth month of the Hebrew calendar.
- בַּחֲמִשָּׁה (ba-ḥamishah) – Root: חמשׁ (ḥamesh); Form: Preposition בְּ + numeral masculine singular; Translation: “on the fifth”; Notes: Denotes the fifth day of the month.
- לַחֹדֶשׁ (la-ḥodesh) – Root: חדשׁ (ḥadash); Form: Preposition לְ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “of the month”; Notes: Completes the temporal phrase—“on the fifth of the month.”
- לְגָלוּתֵנוּ (le-galutenu) – Root: גלה (galah); Form: Preposition לְ + noun feminine singular construct + suffix 1st person plural; Translation: “of our exile”; Notes: Refers to the Babylonian captivity of the prophet and the people of Yisraʾel.
- בָּא (ba) – Root: בוא (boʾ); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “came”; Notes: Marks the arrival of the fugitive messenger bringing dire news.
- אֵלַי (elai) – Root: אל (ʾel); Form: Preposition אֶל + suffix 1st person singular; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Indicates the direction of the messenger’s report to the prophet Yeḥezqel.
- הַפָּלִיט (ha-palit) – Root: פלט (palat); Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the fugitive / escapee”; Notes: A survivor or messenger who escaped the destruction of Yerushalayim.
- מִירוּשָׁלִַם (mi-Yerushalayim) – Root: ירשלם (Yerushalayim); Form: Preposition מִן + proper noun; Translation: “from Yerushalayim”; Notes: Indicates origin of the fugitive; city of sacred significance now fallen.
- לֵאמֹר (leʾmor) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Infinitive construct with preposition לְ; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Introduces direct speech, typical of prophetic or narrative formula.
- הֻכְּתָה (hukketah) – Root: נכה (nakhah); Form: Hofal perfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “has been struck down”; Notes: Passive causative—indicating destruction inflicted upon the city.
- הָעִיר (ha-ʿir) – Root: עיר (ʿir); Form: Definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “the city”; Notes: Refers specifically to Yerushalayim, whose fall fulfills earlier prophetic warnings.