Ezekiel 34:17

וְאַתֵּ֣נָה צֹאנִ֔י כֹּ֥ה אָמַ֖ר אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֑ה הִנְנִ֤י שֹׁפֵט֙ בֵּֽין־שֶׂ֣ה לָשֶׂ֔ה לָאֵילִ֖ים וְלָעַתּוּדִֽים׃

And you, My flock, thus says the Lord YHWH: ‘Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between the rams and the he-goats.

Morphology

1. וְאַתֵּנָה (ve-attenah) – Root: אתה (ʾattah); Form: Conjunction וְ + independent pronoun feminine plural; Translation: “and you”; Notes: Direct address to the flock, emphasizing their role in the divine judgment scene.
2. צֹאנִי (tsoni) – Root: צאן (tson); Form: Noun feminine singular collective + suffix 1st person singular; Translation: “My flock”; Notes: Expresses YHWH’s ownership and pastoral care over His people.
3. כֹּה (koh) – Root: כה (koh); Form: Adverb; Translation: “thus”; Notes: Standard prophetic introduction formula, marking the beginning of a divine declaration.
4. אָמַר (ʾamar) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “says”; Notes: Common verb of divine communication in prophecy.
5. אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonai) – Root: אדן (ʾadon); Form: Noun masculine plural with 1st person singular possessive ending used as divine title; Translation: “the Lord”; Notes: Title expressing sovereignty and majesty of God.
6. יְהוִה (YHWH) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Proper divine name; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The covenant name of Israel’s God, emphasizing His eternal presence and faithfulness.
7. הִנְנִי (hineni) – Root: הנה (hinneh); Form: Interjection + pronoun 1st person singular; Translation: “Behold, I”; Notes: Marks YHWH’s direct and personal intervention.
8. שֹׁפֵט (shofet) – Root: שׁפט (shafat); Form: Qal participle masculine singular; Translation: “judging” or “I judge”; Notes: Expresses ongoing judicial action by YHWH as the divine judge.
9. בֵּין־שֶׂה (bein-seh) – Root: שה (seh); Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “between sheep”; Notes: Denotes discernment among members of the flock—YHWH distinguishes between individuals.
10. לָשֶׂה (la-seh) – Root: שה (seh); Form: Preposition לְ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and sheep”; Notes: Completes the comparison—YHWH judges between one sheep and another, i.e., between righteous and unrighteous members.
11. לָאֵילִים (la-ʾelim) – Root: איל (ʾayil); Form: Preposition לְ + noun masculine plural; Translation: “between the rams”; Notes: Symbolizes leaders or the strong within the flock—those held accountable for their treatment of others.
12. וְלָעַתּוּדִים (ve-la-ʿatudim) – Root: עתד (ʿatad); Form: Conjunction וְ + preposition לְ + noun masculine plural; Translation: “and the he-goats”; Notes: Represents the aggressive or dominant members of the flock—those who oppress the weaker ones.