וַיַּ֥עַן הַמַּלְאָ֖ךְ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלָ֑י אֵ֗לֶּה אַרְבַּע֙ רֻחֹ֣ות הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם יֹוצְאֹ֕ות מֵֽהִתְיַצֵּ֖ב עַל־אֲדֹ֥ון כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
And the messenger answered and said to me, “These are the four winds of the heavens going out from standing before the Lord of all the earth.”
Morphology
- וַיַּעַן (va-yaʿan) – Root: ען (ʿanah); Form: Conjunction וַ + Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And he answered”; Notes: Introduces the messenger’s verbal response.
- הַמַּלְאָךְ (ha-malakh) – Root: לאך (malʾakh); Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the messenger”; Notes: Refers to the angelic figure speaking with the prophet.
- וַיֹּאמֶר (va-yomer) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Conjunction וַ + Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: Continues the narrative speech sequence.
- אֵלָי (elai) – Root: אל (ʾel); Form: Preposition אֶל + suffix 1st person singular; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Marks the recipient of the messenger’s speech.
- אֵלֶּה (elleh) – Root: אלה (elleh); Form: Demonstrative pronoun masculine plural; Translation: “these”; Notes: Points to the chariots already described in the vision.
- אַרְבַּע (arbaʿ) – Root: ארבע (arbaʿ); Form: Numeral feminine singular (used here for plural counting); Translation: “four”; Notes: Modifies the plural noun “winds.”
- רֻחֹות (ruḥot) – Root: רוח (ruaḥ); Form: Noun feminine plural; Translation: “winds”; Notes: Often symbolizes divine agents or cosmic forces.
- הַשָּׁמַיִם (ha-shamayim) – Root: שׁמים (shamayim); Form: Definite noun masculine plural; Translation: “the heavens”; Notes: Indicates the celestial origin of the winds.
- יֹוצְאֹות (yotzʾot) – Root: יצא (yatsaʾ); Form: Qal participle feminine plural; Translation: “going out”; Notes: Describes continuous outgoing activity of the winds.
- מֵהִתְיַצֵּב (me-hitayyatzeb) – Root: יצב (yatzav); Form: Preposition מִן + Hitpael infinitive; Translation: “from standing”; Notes: Indicates source or point of departure; the winds go out from a posture of readiness before the divine.
- עַל־אֲדֹון (ʿal-adon) – Root: אדן (adon); Form: Preposition עַל + noun masculine singular; Translation: “before the Lord”; Notes: “Lord” here refers to sovereign authority over all the earth.
- כָּל (kol) – Root: כל (kol); Form: Noun masculine singular in construct; Translation: “all of”; Notes: Functions as a quantifier modifying “the earth.”
- הָאָרֶץ (ha-aretz) – Root: ארץ (ʾaretz); Form: Definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “the earth”; Notes: Indicates universal domain over which the Lord rules.