וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַ֔י רְאֵ֗ה נָתַ֤תִּֽי לְךָ֙ אֶת־צפועי הַבָּקָ֔ר תַּ֖חַת גֶּלְלֵ֣י הָֽאָדָ֑ם וְעָשִׂ֥יתָ אֶֽת־לַחְמְךָ֖ עֲלֵיהֶֽם׃ ס
And he said to me, “See, I have given you the dung of cattle instead of the excrement of man, and you shall make your bread upon them.”
Morphology
- וַיֹּאמֶר (va-yomer) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3ms; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: Marks divine speech continuing the dialogue.
- אֵלַי (elai) – Root: אל; Form: Preposition + 1cs suffix; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Direct speech address to Ezekiel.
- רְאֵה (reʾeh) – Root: ראה; Form: Qal imperative 2ms; Translation: “see”; Notes: Calls attention to a divine concession or adjustment.
- נָתַתִּי (natatti) – Root: נתן; Form: Qal perfect 1cs; Translation: “I have given”; Notes: Expresses YHWH’s substitutionary provision.
- לְךָ (lekha) – Root: לך; Form: Preposition + 2ms suffix; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Specifies Ezekiel as the recipient.
- אֶת־ (ʾet) – Root: את; Form: Direct object marker; Translation: —; Notes: Marks the definite object “dung of cattle.”
- צפועי (tsepoʿei) – Root: צפע (or related to צפוע, “dung”); Form: Noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “dung of”; Notes: Rare word for dung or droppings.
- הַבָּקָר (ha-bakar) – Root: בקר; Form: Definite noun masculine singular collective; Translation: “the cattle”; Notes: Specifies animal dung to replace human excrement.
- תַּחַת (taḥat) – Root: תחת; Form: Preposition; Translation: “instead of”; Notes: Expresses substitution.
- גֶּלְלֵי (gelalei) – Root: גלל; Form: Noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “excrements of”; Notes: Refers back to human waste mentioned previously.
- הָאָדָם (ha-adam) – Root: אדם; Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the man / humanity”; Notes: Specifies human excrement replaced by cattle dung.
- וְעָשִׂיתָ (ve-ʿasita) – Root: עשׂה; Form: Qal perfect 2ms with vav consecutive (modal future); Translation: “and you shall make”; Notes: Refers to preparation of bread.
- אֶת־ (ʾet) – Root: את; Form: Direct object marker; Translation: —; Notes: Introduces “your bread.”
- לַחְמְךָ (laḥmekha) – Root: לחם; Form: Noun masculine singular + 2ms suffix; Translation: “your bread”; Notes: Refers to Ezekiel’s ration of bread from the previous command.
- עֲלֵיהֶם (ʿalehem) – Root: על; Form: Preposition + 3mp suffix; Translation: “upon them”; Notes: Indicates bread is to be baked using the cattle dung as fuel.