בְּעֶשְׂרִ֣ים וְחָמֵ֣שׁ שָׁנָ֣ה לְ֠גָלוּתֵנוּ בְּרֹ֨אשׁ הַשָּׁנָ֜ה בֶּעָשֹׂ֣ור לַחֹ֗דֶשׁ בְּאַרְבַּ֤ע עֶשְׂרֵה֙ שָׁנָ֔ה אַחַ֕ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֻכְּתָ֖ה הָעִ֑יר בְּעֶ֣צֶם הַיֹּ֣ום הַזֶּ֗ה הָיְתָ֤ה עָלַי֙ יַד־יְהוָ֔ה וַיָּבֵ֥א אֹתִ֖י שָֽׁמָּה׃
In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was struck down, on that very day, the hand of YHWH was upon me, and He brought me there.
Morphology
- בְּעֶשְׂרִים (be-ʿesrīm) – Root: עשר (ʿāśar); Form: Preposition בְּ + numeral masculine plural; Translation: “in the twenty”; Notes: Marks the ordinal part of the year count.
- וְחָמֵשׁ (ve-ḥāmesh) – Root: חמש (ḥāmesh); Form: Conjunction וְ + numeral feminine singular; Translation: “and five”; Notes: Together with the previous word forms “twenty-five.”
- שָׁנָה (shānāh) – Root: שנה (shānah); Form: Noun feminine singular absolute; Translation: “year”; Notes: Refers to the time frame of the vision.
- לְגָלוּתֵנוּ (le-gālūtenu) – Root: גלה (gālah); Form: Preposition לְ + noun feminine singular construct + suffix 1cp; Translation: “of our exile”; Notes: Refers to the period of Babylonian exile experienced by the prophet and his people.
- בְּרֹאשׁ (be-rōsh) – Root: ראשׁ (rōʾsh); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “at the beginning of”; Notes: Indicates the first day of the year, probably referring to a New Year reckoning.
- הַשָּׁנָה (ha-shānāh) – Root: שנה (shānah); Form: Definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “the year”; Notes: Specifies the year’s cycle in which the vision occurred.
- בֶּעָשֹׂור (be-ʿāsōr) – Root: עשר (ʿāśar); Form: Preposition בְּ + numeral masculine singular; Translation: “on the tenth”; Notes: Specifies the tenth day of the month.
- לַחֹדֶשׁ (la-ḥōdesh) – Root: חדשׁ (ḥādash); Form: Preposition לְ + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “of the month”; Notes: Refers to the specific lunar month in the Hebrew calendar.
- בְּאַרְבַּע (be-arbaʿ) – Root: ארבע (ʾarbaʿ); Form: Preposition בְּ + numeral feminine singular; Translation: “in four”; Notes: Beginning of the phrase “fourteen years.”
- עֶשְׂרֵה (ʿesrēh) – Root: עשר (ʿāśar); Form: Numeral masculine singular; Translation: “ten”; Notes: Combines with the previous numeral to form “fourteen.”
- שָׁנָה (shānāh) – Root: שנה (shānah); Form: Noun feminine singular absolute; Translation: “years”; Notes: Marks duration since Jerusalem’s fall.
- אַחַר (ʾaḥar) – Root: אחר (ʾaḥar); Form: Preposition; Translation: “after”; Notes: Temporal preposition indicating subsequent time to the city’s destruction.
- אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) – Root: —; Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “when” / “that”; Notes: Introduces the clause explaining the event referenced.
- הֻכְּתָה (hukkətāh) – Root: נכה (nākhāh); Form: Hophal perfect 3fs; Translation: “was struck down”; Notes: Passive form describing Jerusalem’s destruction by Babylon.
- הָעִיר (ha-ʿīr) – Root: עיר (ʿīr); Form: Definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “the city”; Notes: Refers specifically to Jerusalem.
- בְּעֶצֶם (be-ʿetsem) – Root: עצם (ʿetsem); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “on” / “in the midst of”; Notes: Used idiomatically in the phrase “on that very day.”
- הַיֹּום (ha-yōm) – Root: יום (yōm); Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the day”; Notes: Time reference emphasizing precision.
- הַזֶּה (ha-zeh) – Root: זה (zeh); Form: Demonstrative pronoun masculine singular; Translation: “this”; Notes: Points to the specific, momentous day of revelation.
- הָיְתָה (hāyetāh) – Root: היה (hāyāh); Form: Qal perfect 3fs; Translation: “was”; Notes: Indicates the state of divine manifestation upon the prophet.
- עָלַי (ʿalay) – Root: על (ʿal); Form: Preposition עַל + suffix 1cs; Translation: “upon me”; Notes: Refers to the resting or overpowering of divine presence.
- יַד־יְהוָה (yad-YHWH) – Root: יד (yād) + הוה (havāh); Form: Construct chain: noun + divine name; Translation: “the hand of YHWH”; Notes: Symbolizes divine power or prophetic inspiration.
- וַיָּבֵא (va-yāvēʾ) – Root: בוא (bōʾ); Form: Conjunction וְ + Hiphil wayyiqtol 3ms; Translation: “and He brought”; Notes: Indicates divine action guiding the prophet into visionary experience.
- אֹתִי (ʾotī) – Root: את (ʾet); Form: Direct object pronoun 1cs; Translation: “me”; Notes: The prophet Ezekiel as the object of divine transportation.
- שָׁמָּה (shāmmāh) – Root: שם (shām); Form: Adverb of place; Translation: “there”; Notes: Refers to the destination of the visionary transport—probably the site of the new temple vision.