וָאֹמַ֗ר אֲהָהּ֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֔ה הִנֵּ֥ה נַפְשִׁ֖י לֹ֣א מְטֻמָּאָ֑ה וּנְבֵלָ֨ה וּטְרֵפָ֤ה לֹֽא־אָכַ֨לְתִּי֙ מִנְּעוּרַ֣י וְעַד־עַ֔תָּה וְלֹא־בָ֥א בְּפִ֖י בְּשַׂ֥ר פִּגּֽוּל׃ ס
And I said, “Ah, Lord YHWH! Behold, my soul has not been defiled, and a carcass or torn animal I have not eaten from my youth until now, and unclean flesh has not come into my mouth.”
Morphology
- וָאֹמַר (va-omar) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 1cs; Translation: “and I said”; Notes: Ezekiel’s response to YHWH’s command.
- אֲהָהּ (ʾahah) – Root: אהה; Form: Interjection; Translation: “Ah!”; Notes: Expression of lament or objection.
- אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonai) – Root: אדן; Form: Noun masculine plural of majesty; Translation: “Lord”; Notes: Title for God, emphasizing sovereignty.
- יְהוִה (YHWH) – Root: הוה; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The divine name.
- הִנֵּה (hinneh) – Root: הנה; Form: Demonstrative particle; Translation: “behold”; Notes: Draws attention to a personal claim.
- נַפְשִׁי (nafshi) – Root: נפשׁ; Form: Noun feminine singular with 1cs suffix; Translation: “my soul / myself”; Notes: Refers to Ezekiel’s moral and ritual integrity.
- לֹא (lo) – Root: לא; Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates the verb that follows.
- מְטֻמָּאָה (metummaʾah) – Root: טמא; Form: Pual participle feminine singular; Translation: “defiled”; Notes: Describes ritual impurity avoided by the prophet.
- וּנְבֵלָה (u-nevelah) – Root: נבל; Form: Conjunction + noun feminine singular; Translation: “and a carcass”; Notes: Refers to an animal that died naturally, forbidden to eat.
- וּטְרֵפָה (u-trefah) – Root: טרף; Form: Conjunction + noun feminine singular; Translation: “and torn [animal]”; Notes: Refers to animals killed by predators, also forbidden.
- לֹא־אָכַלְתִּי (lo-ʾakhalti) – Root: אכל; Form: Qal perfect 1cs; Translation: “I have not eaten”; Notes: Emphasizes lifetime adherence to dietary purity.
- מִנְּעוּרַי (mi-nʿurai) – Root: נער; Form: Preposition + noun masculine plural construct + 1cs suffix; Translation: “from my youth”; Notes: Indicates from earliest years.
- וְעַד־עַתָּה (ve-ʿad-ʿattah) – Root: עתה; Form: Conjunction + preposition + noun/adverb; Translation: “and until now”; Notes: Continuity of practice to the present moment.
- וְלֹא־בָא (ve-lo-vaʾ) – Root: בוא; Form: Conjunction + negative + Qal perfect 3ms; Translation: “and it has not come”; Notes: Introduces another assertion of purity.
- בְּפִי (be-fi) – Root: פה; Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular with 1cs suffix; Translation: “into my mouth”; Notes: Refers to consumption.
- בְּשַׂר (besar) – Root: בשר; Form: Noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “flesh of”; Notes: Specifies the type of food avoided.
- פִּגּוּל (piggul) – Root: פגל; Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “unclean thing / abominable flesh”; Notes: Refers to sacrificial meat disqualified by improper handling or idolatry.