Mar 23 2006

Ezekiel 7:1-4

Published by Hardy at 3:11 pm under Ezekiel, Grammar, prophetic speech

וַיְהִ֥י דְבַר־יְהוָ֖ה אֵלַ֥י לֵאמֹֽר׃ 2 וְאַתָּ֣ה בֶן־אָדָ֗ם כֹּה־אָמַ֞ר אֲדֹנָ֧י יְהוִ֛ה לְאַדְמַ֥ת יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל קֵ֑ץ בָּ֣א הַקֵּ֔ץ עַל־[אַרְבַּעַת] כַּנְפ֥וֹת הָאָֽרֶץ׃ 3 עַתָּה֙ הַקֵּ֣ץ עָלַ֔יִךְ וְשִׁלַּחְתִּ֤י אַפִּי֙ בָּ֔ךְ וּשְׁפַטְתִּ֖יךְ כִּדְרָכָ֑יִךְ וְנָתַתִּ֣י עָלַ֔יִךְ אֵ֖ת כָּל־תּוֹעֲבֹתָֽיִךְ׃ 4 וְלֹא־תָח֥וֹס עֵינִ֛י עָלַ֖יִךְ וְלֹ֣א אֶחְמ֑וֹל כִּ֣י דְרָכַ֜יִךְ עָלַ֣יִךְ אֶתֵּ֗ן וְתוֹעֲבוֹתַ֙יִךְ֙ בְּתוֹכֵ֣ךְ תִּֽהְיֶ֔יןָ וִידַעְתֶּ֖ם כִּֽי־אֲנִ֥י יְהוָֽה׃ פ

Vocabulary

Verse 1 & 2

            קץ  noun: “end”

            כנף  noun: “wing, extremity”

Syntax & Miscellaneous

  • The first verse is the typical Ezekielian formula to initiate a divine revelatory word or sign act (cf. 3:16, 6:1, 7:1, 11:14, 12:1, 17, 21, 26, 13:1, 14:2, 12, 15:1,16:1, 17:1, 11;,18:1, 20:2, 21:1, 6, 13, 23, 22:1, 17, 23, 23:1, 24:15, 25:1, 27:1, 28:1, 11, 20, 30:1, 33:1, 23, 34:1, 35:1, 36:16, 37:15, 38:1; also in Jeremiah 1:4, 11, 2:1, 13:8, 16:1, 24:4; Zechariah 4:8, 6:9).
  • The lamed, לְאַדְמַ֥ת, is adversative, “against the land of.”
  • The message is initiated by a one word condemnation: קֵץ “end.”  The phrase following is asyndetically connected to this pronouncement as explanative of this degree (epexegetical).
  • Qere: אַרְבַּ֖ע.  The Kethib witnesses a construct form; whereas, the Qere is simply an adjective.

Vocabulary

Verse 3

            תועבה  noun (fs construct with 2fs suffix): “abomination”

Verse 4

            חוס  verb: “pity, look upon with compassion” (BDB, 299)

            חמל  verb: “spare, have compassion upon” (BDB, 328)

            תהיין  verb (Qal imperfect 3fpl from היה)

Syntax & Misc.

Verse 3

  • The phrase, הַקֵּ֣ץ עָלַ֔יִךְ, is a verbless clause of the typology, S-P.
  • The word אף literally refers to one’s nose or nostril.  However, in light of several  idioms that reference the nose as the indicator of anger [to be patient or not easily angered is to be  אֶ֥רֶךְ אַפַּ֖יִם “long of nose” (Exodus 34:6; Numbers 14:18; Nehemiah 9:17; Psalms 86:15, 103:8, 145:8; Proverb 14:29; 16:32; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2; Nahum 1:3); to burn with anger is חֲר֥וֹן אַף “burning of nose” (Genesis 30:2, 39:19; Exodus 4:14, 22:23, 32:10, 32:11); to be prone to anger is בַּ֣עַל אָ֑ף “owner of nose” (Proverbs 22:24)], it figuratively can mean “anger.”

Verse 4

  • Be careful not to conflate the vowel and accent of the last syllable of עֵינִ֛י.  The final vowel is not a sere, but a hireq with the disjunctive accent tebir.  Hence, it is the subject of the clause.

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