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וַיְהִ֣י ׀ בַּשָּׁנָ֣ה הַשִּׁשִּׁ֗ית בַּשִּׁשִּׁי֙ בַּחֲמִשָּׁ֣ה לַחֹ֔דֶשׁ אֲנִי֙ יוֹשֵׁ֣ב בְּבֵיתִ֔י וְזִקְנֵ֥י יְהוּדָ֖ה יוֹשְׁבִ֣ים לְפָנָ֑י וַתִּפֹּ֤ל עָלַי֙ שָׁ֔ם יַ֖ד אֲדֹנָ֥י יְהוִֹֽה׃ 2 וָאֶרְאֶ֗ה וְהִנֵּ֤ה דְמוּת֙ כְּמַרְאֵה־אֵ֔שׁ מִמַּרְאֵ֥ה מָתְנָ֛יו וּלְמַ֖טָּה אֵ֑שׁ וּמִמָּתְנָ֣יו וּלְמַ֔עְלָה כְּמַרְאֵה־זֹ֖הַר כְּעֵ֥ין הַחַשְׁמַֽלָה׃ 3 וַיִּשְׁלַח֙ תַּבְנִ֣ית יָ֔ד וַיִּקָּחֵ֖נִי בְּצִיצִ֣ת רֹאשִׁ֑י וַתִּשָּׂ֣א אֹתִ֣י ר֣וּחַ ׀ בֵּֽין־הָאָ֣רֶץ וּבֵ֣ין הַשָּׁמַ֡יִם וַתָּבֵא֩ אֹתִ֨י יְרוּשָׁלְַ֜מָה בְּמַרְא֣וֹת אֱלֹהִ֗ים אֶל־פֶּ֜תַח שַׁ֤עַר הַפְּנִימִית֙ הַפּוֹנֶ֣ה צָפ֔וֹנָה אֲשֶׁר־שָׁ֣ם מוֹשַׁ֔ב סֵ֖מֶל הַקִּנְאָ֥ה הַמַּקְנֶֽה׃ 4 וְהִ֨נֵּה־שָׁ֔ם כְּב֖וֹד אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כַּמַּרְאֶ֕ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר רָאִ֖יתִי בַּבִּקְעָֽה׃ 5 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַ֔י בֶּן־אָדָ֕ם שָׂא־נָ֥א עֵינֶ֖יךָ דֶּ֣רֶךְ צָפ֑וֹנָה וָאֶשָּׂ֤א עֵינַי֙ דֶּ֣רֶךְ צָפ֔וֹנָה וְהִנֵּ֤ה מִצָּפוֹן֙ לְשַׁ֣עַר הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ סֵ֛מֶל הַקִּנְאָ֥ה הַזֶּ֖ה בַּבִּאָֽה׃ 6 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַ֔י בֶּן־אָדָ֕ם הֲרֹאֶ֥ה אַתָּ֖ה [מֵהֶם] עֹשִׂ֑ים תּוֹעֵב֨וֹת גְּדֹל֜וֹת אֲשֶׁ֥ר בֵּֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל ׀ עֹשִׂ֣ים פֹּ֗ה לְרָֽחֳקָה֙ מֵעַ֣ל מִקְדָּשִׁ֔י וְעוֹד֙ תָּשׁ֣וּב תִּרְאֶ֔ה תּוֹעֵב֖וֹת גְּדֹלֽוֹת׃ ס      

Vocabulary

Verse 1

            שׁשׁי  cardinal number: “sixth” (BDB, 995)

            יהודה  name: “Judah”

Syntax & Miscellaneous

• The phrase, בחמשׁה לחדשׁ “on the fifth of the month,” refers to the fifth day (seen elsewhere in Ezekiel 1:1, 1:2, 33:21).
• The sequencing, אֲנִי֙ יוֹשֵׁ֣ב, is a periphrastic clause without an extant היה verb.
• The form of the preposition with the 1cs pronominal suffix is not עָלִי but עָלַי֙.  There is no plural form of this suffix.  Other forms of the 1cs suffix are עֲלַי only found in Daniel (4 times) and עָלָי the pausal form.  The word, עֲלִי, is the Qal imperative fs form of עלה “ascend, go up.”
• The appellation, אֲדֹנָ֥י יְהוִֹֽה, is not very common outside of the book of Ezekiel only occurring five times (1 Kings 2:26; Psalm 140:8; Isaiah 50:4; Jeremiah 1:6, 7:20); however, it is used twenty-four times in Ezekiel (2:4, 3:11, 27, 5:5, 8:1, 12:10, 13:16, 14:21, 23, 16:36, 17:9, 20:39, 21:33, 22:31, 23:32, 24:6, 14, 26:21, 28:2, 30:22, 33:25, 39:17, 43:27, 46:16).

Vocabulary

Verse 2

            דמות  “likeness” (BDB, 198)

            מראה  “appearance”

            מתנים  “loins” (BDB, 608)

            מטה  “downward” (BDB, 641)

            מעלה  “upward” (BDB, )

            זהר  “brightness” (BDB, 264)

            חשׁמל  “amber” (BDB, 365)

Verse 3

            תבנית  noun (fs): “structure, form, pattern” (BDB, 125)

            ציצת  “lock (of hair)” (BDB, 851)

            מראה  “vision” (BDB, 909)

            פנימי  “inner” (BDB, 819)

            פנה  verb (Qal participle ms): “turning, facing”

            צפון  “north”

            מושׁב  noun: “assembly, seat” (BDB, 444)

            סמל  “image, idol” (BDB, 702)

            קנאה  “jealousy” (BDB, 888)

            קנא  verb (Hiphil participle ms): “jealousy” (BDB, 888)

Verse 4

            מראה  “appearance”

            בקעה  “valley, plain” (BDB, 132)

Verse 5

            צפון  “north”

            סמל  “image, idol” (BDB, 702)

            קנאה  “jealousy” (BDB, 888)

            באה  “entrance” (BDB, 99)

Verse 6

            תועבה  “abomination”

            רחק  “be distant, far off” (BDB, 934)

            מקדשׁ  “sanctuary” (BDB, 874)

Syntax & Misc.

Verse 2

• The word דמות is used only 25 times in the MT, ten of which are found in the vision of God in the first chapter of Ezekiel.
• The final phrase, כְּעֵ֥ין הַחַשְׁמַֽלָה, is meant to explain the “appearance of brightness.”  עין normally is translated “eye,” but it could mean the eye of a gemstone (cf. Ezekiel 1).
• The final he of חשׁמל is most likely a result of a pausal structure (cf. GKC 90f).

Verse 3

• The רוח “spirit, wind” is the subject of feminine verb נשׁה.
• The sequencing of בין…בין is used to indicate “between this and that.”
• The final ה attached to ירושׁלים is a directive he.
• The form of the final participle מקנה simulates the III-ה verb (GKC 75qq).
• The final word is an asyndetic relative clause, “which provokes (causes) jealousy.”

Verse 4

• The glory to which he refers was seen by the Chebar canal in Babylon (Ezekiel 1).

Verse 5

• שׁא is the Qal imperative ms of נשׁא “lift up.”  It is used often with the direct object עין “eye” to mean idiomatically “look and see [something important].”
• The directive he is found again attached to צפונה “to the north.”

Verse 6

• Qere: מָ֣ה הֵ֣ם.  The Kethib conflates these two particles and drops the repeated he.
• The verb, קחל, sequenced with מעל means to be distant spiritually and not physically.  This is used metaphorically of Israel’s non-Yahwistic worship.

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