וָאֵרֵ֖ד בֵּ֣ית הַיֹּוצֵ֑ר והנהו עֹשֶׂ֥ה מְלָאכָ֖ה עַל־הָאָבְנָֽיִם׃
And I went down to the house of the potter, and behold, he was doing work upon the stones.
Morphology
- וָאֵרֵד (va-ʾered) – Root: ירד; Form: Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 1st person masculine singular; Translation: “And I went down”; Notes: First-person narrative continuation of the prophet’s obedience to YHWH’s command.
- בֵּית (beit) – Root: בית; Form: Construct noun masculine singular; Translation: “house of”; Notes: Construct chain with the following noun.
- הַיֹּוצֵר (ha-yotser) – Root: יצר; Form: Hifil participle masculine singular with definite article; Translation: “the potter”; Notes: The artisan who forms clay; literal and metaphorical significance.
- והנהו (ve-hinneh-hu) – Root: הנה; Form: Interjection + 3rd person masculine singular pronoun suffix; Translation: “and behold, he”; Notes: A dramatic marker introducing a surprising or notable scene.
- עֹשֶׂה (ʿoseh) – Root: עשׂה; Form: Qal participle masculine singular; Translation: “doing”; Notes: Describes the ongoing action of the potter.
- מְלָאכָה (melakhah) – Root: מלאך or מלא; Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “work”; Notes: Refers to craft or labor, especially in manual or artisan contexts.
- עַל־הָאָבְנָיִם (ʿal-ha-ʾovnayim) – Root: אבן; Form: Preposition + definite dual noun feminine; Translation: “upon the stones”; Notes: Refers to the potter’s wheel, composed of two circular stones.