Ezekiel 35:6

לָכֵ֣ן חַי־אָ֗נִי נְאֻם֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֔ה כִּֽי־לְדָ֥ם אֶעֶשְׂךָ֖ וְדָ֣ם יִרְדֲּפֶ֑ךָ אִם־לֹ֥א דָ֛ם שָׂנֵ֖אתָ וְדָ֥ם יִרְדֲּפֶֽךָ׃

therefore, as I live,” declares the Lord YHWH, “I will make you for blood, and blood shall pursue you; since you have not hated blood, therefore blood shall pursue you.

Morphology

1. לָכֵן (lakhen) – Root: כן (ken); Form: Adverb; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Introduces a divine pronouncement of judgment, based on preceding actions of guilt.
2. חַי (ḥai) – Root: חיה (ḥayah); Form: Adjective masculine singular absolute; Translation: “live” or “living”; Notes: Used in divine oaths—“as I live”—a solemn declaration emphasizing certainty of YHWH’s word.
3. אֲָנִי (ʾani) – Root: אני (ʾani); Form: Independent pronoun 1st person singular; Translation: “I”; Notes: Expresses divine self-reference, reinforcing YHWH’s personal authority in the oath.
4. נְאֻם (neʾum) – Root: נאם (naʾam); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “utterance” or “declaration”; Notes: Standard prophetic formula marking divine speech.
5. אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonai) – Root: אדן (ʾadon); Form: Noun masculine plural with 1st person singular possessive, used as a divine title; Translation: “the Lord”; Notes: Signifies YHWH’s sovereign authority.
6. יְהוִה (YHWH) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Proper divine name; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The covenant name of God, emphasizing divine faithfulness and judgment.
7. כִּי (ki) – Root: כי (ki); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “because” or “for”; Notes: Introduces the reason or content of YHWH’s oath.
8. לְדָם (le-dam) – Root: דם (dam); Form: Preposition לְ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “for blood”; Notes: Denotes a destiny of bloodshed—Edom will experience the violence it caused.
9. אֶעֶשְׂךָ (ʾeʿesekha) – Root: עשׂה (ʿasah); Form: Qal imperfect 1st person singular + suffix 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “I will make you”; Notes: Expresses divine action—YHWH will transform Edom’s condition into a state of destruction.
10. וְדָם (ve-dam) – Root: דם (dam); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and blood”; Notes: Continuation of the theme of retributive justice through violence.
11. יִרְדֲּפֶךָ (yirdafekha) – Root: רדף (radaf); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular + suffix 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “shall pursue you”; Notes: Denotes relentless divine retribution—bloodshed will hunt Edom as punishment.
12. אִם־לֹא (ʾim-lo) – Root: אם (ʾim) + לא (lo); Form: Conditional particle + negative particle; Translation: “since not” or “because you did not”; Notes: Used idiomatically in oaths to express a cause for judgment.
13. דָם (dam) – Root: דם (dam); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “blood”; Notes: Symbolizes violence, murder, or bloodshed—what Edom delighted in and failed to reject.
14. שָׂנֵאתָ (saneta) – Root: שׂנא (saneʾ); Form: Qal perfect 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “you have hated”; Notes: Expresses moral rejection—Edom is condemned for not abhorring bloodshed.
15. וְדָם (ve-dam) – Root: דם (dam); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and blood”; Notes: Repeated for emphasis—poetic justice: the same “blood” will return upon Edom.
16. יִרְדֲּפֶךָ (yirdafekha) – Root: רדף (radaf); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular + suffix 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “shall pursue you”; Notes: Repetition intensifies the certainty of divine vengeance.