Grammar Analysis: Ezekiel 23:31-34¶
Text¶
Ezekiel 23:31 (Hebrew) בְּדֶ֥רֶךְ אֲחֹותֵ֖ךְ הָלָ֑כְתְּ וְנָתַתִּ֥י כֹוסָ֖הּ בְּיָדֵֽךְ׃
Ezekiel 23:31 (KJV) Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister; therefore will I give her cup into thine hand.
Ezekiel 23:32 (Hebrew) כֹּ֤ה אָמַר֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהֹוִ֔ה כֹּ֤וס אֲחֹותֵךְ֙ תִּשְׁתִּ֔י הָעֲמֻקָּ֖ה וְהָרְחָבָ֑ה תִּהְיֶ֥ה לִצְחֹ֛ק וּלְלַ֖עַג מִרְבָּ֥ה לְהָכִֽיל׃
Ezekiel 23:32 (KJV) Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou shalt drink of thy sister's cup deep and large: thou shalt be laughed to scorn and had in derision; it containeth much.
Ezekiel 23:33 (Hebrew) שִׁכָּרֹ֥ון וְיָגֹ֖ון תִּמָּלֵ֑אִי כֹּ֚וס שַׁמָּ֣ה וּשְׁמָמָ֔ה כֹּ֖וס אֲחֹותֵ֥ךְ שֹׁמְרֹֽון׃
Ezekiel 23:33 (KJV) Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and desolation, with the cup of thy sister Samaria.
Ezekiel 23:34 (Hebrew) וְשָׁתִ֨ית אֹותָ֜הּ וּמָצִ֗ית וְאֶת־חֲרָשֶׂ֛יהָ תְּגָרֵ֖מִי וְשָׁדַ֣יִךְ תְּנַתֵּ֑קִי כִּ֚י אֲנִ֣י דִבַּ֔רְתִּי נְאֻ֖ם אֲדֹנָ֥י יְהוִֽה׃
Ezekiel 23:34 (KJV) Thou shalt even drink it and suck [it] out, and thou shalt break the sherds thereof, and pluck off thine own breasts: for I have spoken [it], saith the Lord GOD.
Word-by-Word Parsing¶
Verse 31¶
| # | Hebrew | Lemma | Parsing | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | בְּ | ב | Prep | in |
| 2 | דֶ֥רֶךְ | דרך | Noun.s.Cst | way |
| 3 | אֲחֹותֵ֖ךְ | אחות | Noun.fs.Abs.+2fs | sister (thy) |
| 4 | הָלָ֑כְתְּ | הלך | Verb.Qal.Perf.2fs | walk |
| 5 | וְ | ו | Conj | and |
| 6 | נָתַתִּ֥י | נתן | Verb.Qal.Perf.1s | give |
| 7 | כֹוסָ֖הּ | כוס | Noun.fs.Abs.+3fs | cup (her) |
| 8 | בְּ | ב | Prep | in |
| 9 | יָדֵֽךְ | יד | Noun.s.Abs.+2fs | hand (thy) |
Verse 32¶
| # | Hebrew | Lemma | Parsing | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | כֹּ֤ה | כה | Adv | thus |
| 2 | אָמַר֙ | אמר | Verb.Qal.Perf.3ms | say |
| 3 | אֲדֹנָ֣י | אדני | PropN.ms.Abs | Lord |
| 4 | יְהֹוִ֔ה | יהוה | PropN.ms.Abs | YHWH |
| 5 | כֹּ֤וס | כוס | Noun.fs.Cst | cup (of) |
| 6 | אֲחֹותֵךְ֙ | אחות | Noun.fs.Abs.+2fs | sister (thy) |
| 7 | תִּשְׁתִּ֔י | שׁתה | Verb.Qal.Impf.2fs | drink |
| 8 | הָ | ה | Art | the |
| 9 | עֲמֻקָּ֖ה | עמק | Adj.fs.Abs | deep |
| 10 | וְ | ו | Conj | and |
| 11 | הָ | ה | Art | the |
| 12 | רְחָבָ֑ה | רחב | Adj.fs.Abs | wide |
| 13 | תִּהְיֶ֥ה | היה | Verb.Qal.Impf.3fs | be |
| 14 | לִ | ל | Prep | to/for |
| 15 | צְחֹ֛ק | צחק | Noun.ms.Abs | laughter |
| 16 | וּ | ו | Conj | and |
| 17 | לְ | ל | Prep | to/for |
| 18 | לַ֖עַג | לעג | Noun.ms.Abs | derision |
| 19 | מִרְבָּ֥ה | מרבה | Noun.fs.Abs | holding-much |
| 20 | לְ | ל | Prep | to |
| 21 | הָכִֽיל | כול | Verb.Hiphil.InfCon | contain |
Verse 33¶
| # | Hebrew | Lemma | Parsing | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | שִׁכָּרֹ֥ון | שׁכרון | Noun.ms.Abs | drunkenness |
| 2 | וְ | ו | Conj | and |
| 3 | יָגֹ֖ון | יגון | Noun.ms.Abs | grief |
| 4 | תִּמָּלֵ֑אִי | מלא | Verb.Niphal.Impf.2fs | be filled |
| 5 | כֹּ֚וס | כוס | Noun.fs.Cst | cup (of) |
| 6 | שַׁמָּ֣ה | שׁמה | Noun.fs.Abs | astonishment/horror |
| 7 | וּ | ו | Conj | and |
| 8 | שְׁמָמָ֔ה | שׁממה | Noun.fs.Abs | desolation |
| 9 | כֹּ֖וס | כוס | Noun.fs.Cst | cup (of) |
| 10 | אֲחֹותֵ֥ךְ | אחות | Noun.fs.Abs.+2fs | sister (thy) |
| 11 | שֹׁמְרֹֽון | שׁמרון | PropN.s.Abs | Samaria |
Verse 34¶
| # | Hebrew | Lemma | Parsing | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | וְ | ו | Conj | and |
| 2 | שָׁתִ֨ית | שׁתה | Verb.Qal.Perf.2fs | drink |
| 3 | אֹותָ֜הּ | את | Prep.+3fs | (obj) it |
| 4 | וּ | ו | Conj | and |
| 5 | מָצִ֗ית | מצה | Verb.Qal.Perf.2fs | drain |
| 6 | וְ | ו | Conj | and |
| 7 | אֶת | את | Prep | (obj marker) |
| 8 | חֲרָשֶׂ֛יהָ | חרשׂ | Noun.mp.Abs.+3fs | sherds (its) |
| 9 | תְּגָרֵ֖מִי | גרם | Verb.Piel.Impf.2fs | gnaw/break |
| 10 | וְ | ו | Conj | and |
| 11 | שָׁדַ֣יִךְ | שׁד | Noun.md.Abs.+2fs | breasts (thy) |
| 12 | תְּנַתֵּ֑קִי | נתק | Verb.Piel.Impf.2fs | tear off |
| 13 | כִּ֚י | כי | Conj | for/because |
| 14 | אֲנִ֣י | אני | PersPron.1s | I |
| 15 | דִבַּ֔רְתִּי | דבר | Verb.Piel.Perf.1s | have spoken |
| 16 | נְאֻ֖ם | נאם | Noun.ms.Cst | utterance (of) |
| 17 | אֲדֹנָ֥י | אדני | PropN.ms.Abs | Lord |
| 18 | יְהוִֽה | יהוה | PropN.ms.Abs | YHWH |
Key Grammatical Features¶
1. וְנָתַתִּ֥י — Weqatal of Consequence (v. 31)¶
- Form: Qal Perfect 1cs with conjunctive waw (נתן, "to give")
- Significance: The shift from the 2fs Qal perfect הָלָ֑כְתְּ ("thou hast walked") to 1cs weqatal וְנָתַתִּ֥י ("and I will give") functions as a consequence/apodosis. The perfect of walking describes the completed pattern; the weqatal sets the resulting divine action in train. This is the logical backbone of the oracle: because she walked Samaria's road, therefore Samaria's cup comes into her hand.
- Grammar reference: See
grammar-reference/hebrew/weqatal-apodosis-vow.mdfor the weqatal-of-consequence pattern.
2. כֹּ֤וס אֲחֹותֵךְ֙ / כֹּ֖וס אֲחֹותֵ֥ךְ שֹׁמְרֹֽון — Construct Chain with Pronominal Suffix (vv. 32, 33)¶
- Form: כוס ("cup") in construct state (Noun.fs.Cst) bound to אחות ("sister") in absolute state carrying a 2fs suffix ("thy sister"). In v. 33 the chain extends with an apposition: כֹּ֖וס אֲחֹותֵ֥ךְ שֹׁמְרֹֽון — "cup of thy sister Samaria."
- Significance: The construct-suffix chain makes the cup juridically hers — Samaria's own cup, not a neutral one. Oholibah (Jerusalem) does not drink a generic judgment cup; she drinks the identical vessel her sister already drained. Grammar enforces the typological identification of the two kingdoms' fates.
- Grammar reference: See
grammar-reference/hebrew/construct-chain-suffix.mdandgrammar-reference/hebrew/construct-state.md.
3. הָעֲמֻקָּ֖ה וְהָרְחָבָ֑ה — Articular Adjectives in Apposition (v. 32)¶
- Form: Two feminine singular adjectives (עמק "deep," רחב "wide"), each prefixed with the definite article הָ, agreeing with the preceding noun כֹּ֤וס ("cup") which takes its definiteness from the suffixed construct chain. Both are predicate-attributive modifiers delayed after the verb.
- Significance: The articular adjectives agree with the definite construct chain ("thy sister's cup") — grammatically this is that particular cup, known and specified, now re-described as deep-and-wide. The pairing is a fixed hendiadys for "large capacity," grammatically reinforced by the following clause מִרְבָּ֥ה לְהָכִֽיל ("much to contain"). Feminine singular agreement locks the adjectives onto כוס (fs) rather than onto אחות.
- Grammar reference: (no entry yet — potential new concept: articular adjective attribution across construct chain)
4. מִרְבָּ֥ה לְהָכִֽיל — Hiphil Infinitive Construct of Quantity (v. 32)¶
- Form: מִרְבָּ֥ה (fs absolute noun from רבה, "abundance/much") + ל preposition + הָכִֽיל (Hiphil InfCon of כול, "to contain, hold"). The clause parser identifies this as an elliptical object clause ("Ellp") followed by an infinitive-construct clause ("InfC").
- Significance: The lamed + Hiphil infinitive construct is epexegetical — it specifies the respect in which the cup is "much": "much with respect to containing" = "holding much." The Hiphil of כול ("cause-to-contain") is the standard stem for capacity language in the Hebrew Bible. The construction translates woodenly "much-to-contain" but idiomatically names the cup's monstrous capacity for wrath.
- Grammar reference: See
grammar-reference/hebrew/stem-hiphil.mdandgrammar-reference/hebrew/infinitive-construct-natan-predicative.mdfor related Hiphil infinitive usages.
5. תִּמָּלֵ֑אִי — Niphal Imperfect 2fs of Passive Receipt (v. 33)¶
- Form: Niphal Imperfect 2fs of מלא ("be filled, be full"). The clause parser classifies this as xYq0 (fronted non-subject + yiqtol) in direct speech (Q domain). Fronted objects שִׁכָּרֹ֥ון וְיָגֹ֖ון ("drunkenness and sorrow") emphasize what fills her.
- Significance: The passive Niphal removes Oholibah's agency — she is filled, she does not fill herself. The 2fs direct address keeps YHWH the implied agent. Pairing an abstract state-noun (שִׁכָּרֹון, drunkenness) with an emotional noun (יָגֹון, sorrow) as double subject of a single passive verb compresses physical intoxication and psychological collapse into one event.
- Grammar reference: See
grammar-reference/hebrew/stem-niphal.mdandgrammar-reference/hebrew/niphal-imperfect-divine-denial.mdfor related Niphal imperfect functions.
6. וְשָׁתִ֨ית … וּמָצִ֗ית — Asyndetic Qal Perfect Pair of Exhaustive Action (v. 34)¶
- Form: Two 2fs Qal perfects in sequence — שָׁתָה ("drink") + מָצָה ("drain to the last drop"). Both are WQt0 clauses (waw-qatal, main line). After these, the verbs flip to imperfect (תְּגָרֵ֖מִי, תְּנַתֵּ֑קִי — Piel Imperfect 2fs).
- Significance: The perfect verbs describe the drinking as completed fact ("thou shalt drink it and drain it") — a prophetic perfect announcing the drinking as already accomplished in divine decree. מָצָה ("drain") is the rarer, intensive complement to שָׁתָה and is the specific grammatical warrant for the KJV "suck it out" / "drained even to the dregs." The semantic pair שָׁתָה→מָצָה stages the drinking as complete consumption, not partial sipping.
- Grammar reference: See
grammar-reference/hebrew/weqatal-apodosis-vow.mdfor waw-perfect in prophetic declaration. Related word study:word-studies/H8354-shathah.md.
7. תְּגָרֵ֖מִי / תְּנַתֵּ֑קִי — Piel Imperfect 2fs of Violent Self-Destruction (v. 34)¶
- Form: Piel Imperfect 2fs verbs. גרם in Piel = "gnaw on / break up (bones, sherds)"; נתק in Piel = "tear off, rip away." Both are WxY0 clauses (waw + fronted object + yiqtol) — the fronted objects חֲרָשֶׂ֛יהָ ("its sherds") and שָׁדַ֣יִךְ ("thy breasts") receive emphasis.
- Significance: The Piel stem is intensive/resultative — the actions are not gentle but violent. The grammatical shift from Qal perfects (drinking, draining) to Piel imperfects (gnawing sherds, tearing breasts) escalates from completed consumption into ongoing self-inflicted mutilation. Fronting the body-part objects before the verbs places maximal grammatical weight on what is being destroyed. The 2fs subject is continuous throughout — she drinks, she drains, she gnaws, she tears — an unbroken chain of second-feminine-singular predicates targeting the same victim.
- Grammar reference: (no Piel stem entry yet — potential new concept: Piel-of-violent-intensification)
8. כִּ֚י אֲנִ֣י דִבַּ֔רְתִּי — Emphatic Divine Self-Designation with Pronoun (v. 34)¶
- Form: Conjunction כִּי ("for") + independent 1cs pronoun אֲנִי + Piel Perfect 1cs דִבַּרְתִּי ("I have spoken"). The clause type is XQtl (fronted non-subject element + qatal). The parser marks the pronoun as the subject despite the fact that the verbal morphology already carries 1cs.
- Significance: Hebrew finite verbs already contain the pronoun; the explicit אֲנִי is grammatically redundant and therefore emphatic. The construction means "for I myself have spoken." It seals the oracle with juridical authority — YHWH is the actor, not Ezekiel. This is then reinforced by the formulaic נְאֻ֖ם אֲדֹנָ֥י יְהוִֽה ("utterance of the Lord YHWH"), a nominal clause (NmCl) functioning as an oracle-signature.
- Grammar reference: See
grammar-reference/hebrew/cohortative-1cp-divine-speech.md(related divine self-reference patterns).
Clause Structure¶
Verse 31 (inferred from parsing)¶
- Clause 1 (xQtX): בְּדֶ֥רֶךְ אֲחֹותֵ֖ךְ הָלָ֑כְתְּ — "In the way of thy sister thou hast walked" (fronted PP + Qal perfect)
- Clause 2 (weQt0): וְנָתַתִּ֥י כֹוסָ֖הּ בְּיָדֵֽךְ — weqatal of consequence
Verse 32¶
| # | Type | Text | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | xQtX (N) | כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה | Narrator messenger-formula ("thus saith") |
| 2 | xYq0 (Q) | כוס אחותך תשתי העמקה והרחבה | Fronted object + yiqtol: "thy sister's cup [deep and wide] thou shalt drink" |
| 3 | ZYq0 (Q) | תהיה לצחק וללעג | Fresh yiqtol: "it/thou shalt be for scorn and derision" |
| 4 | Ellp (Q) | מרבה | Elliptical object: "[holding] much" |
| 5 | InfC (Q) | להכיל | Infinitive-construct clause: "to contain" |
Notice the domain shift from N (narrator speech) to Q (quoted direct speech from YHWH) at clause 2 — everything from v. 32b through v. 34 is inside the divine oracle.
Verse 33¶
| # | Type | Text | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | xYq0 (Q) | שכרון ויגון תמלאי | Fronted compound object + Niphal yiqtol |
| 2 | CPen (Q) | כוס שמה ושממה כוס אחותך שמרון | Casus pendens / left-dislocation: the cup, identified in apposition, stands as fronted topic referring back to clause 1's filling |
The CPen (casus pendens) construction in v. 33b is a topic-fronting device: the heaped-up identification ("cup of horror-and-desolation, cup of thy sister Samaria") is hung out in front with no verb of its own, syntactically dependent on תִּמָּלֵאִי in clause 1. The effect: five descriptors of one cup piled as an asyndetic apposition.
Verse 34¶
| # | Type | Text | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WQt0 (Q) | ושתית אותה | Waw + qatal: "and thou shalt drink it" |
| 2 | WQt0 (Q) | ומצית | Waw + qatal: "and drain" |
| 3 | WxY0 (Q) | ואת חרשיה תגרמי | Waw + fronted object + Piel yiqtol: "and its sherds thou shalt gnaw" |
| 4 | WxY0 (Q) | ושדיך תנתקי | Waw + fronted object + Piel yiqtol: "and thy breasts thou shalt tear off" |
| 5 | XQtl (Q) | כי אני דברתי | Causal + emphatic pronoun + qatal: "for I myself have spoken" |
| 6 | NmCl (Q) | נאם אדני יהוה | Nominal clause: "utterance of the Lord YHWH" — oracle signature |
The v. 34 sequence is a carefully graded verbal ladder: two qatals (completed consumption) → two yiqtols (ongoing violent mutilation) → a causal qatal (divine self-attestation) → a verbless oracle-seal.
Discourse Flow Across vv. 31-34¶
- v. 31 — Narrator-voiced accusation (xQtX) + weqatal verdict: walked in sister's way → I give her cup
- v. 32a — Messenger formula (xQtX, narrator domain)
- v. 32b-34a — Inside YHWH's direct speech (Q domain):
- Fronted-object yiqtol announcing the drinking (v. 32b)
- Yiqtol + elliptical construction describing the cup's capacity (v. 32c)
- Niphal yiqtol of passive filling + casus pendens piling names on the cup (v. 33)
- Two waw-qatals of exhaustive drinking, two Piel yiqtols of violent aftermath (v. 34a)
- v. 34b — Divine self-signature: emphatic אֲנִי + Piel perfect דברתי + nominal oracle-formula
The grammar stages the oracle in four phases: accusation → verdict pronouncement → cup description → consumption and self-destruction → divine seal.
Cross-References¶
Grammar Library¶
grammar-reference/hebrew/construct-state.md— כוס + אחות construct chaingrammar-reference/hebrew/construct-chain-suffix.md— construct + pronominal suffix ("thy sister's cup")grammar-reference/hebrew/stem-niphal.md— תִּמָּלֵאִי passive fillinggrammar-reference/hebrew/stem-hiphil.md— לְהָכִיל (Hiphil of כול, capacity)grammar-reference/hebrew/weqatal-apodosis-vow.md— וְנָתַתִּי consequence; וְשָׁתִית prophetic waw-qatalgrammar-reference/hebrew/qal-imperfect.md— תִּשְׁתִּי, תִּהְיֶהgrammar-reference/hebrew/niphal-imperfect-divine-denial.md— related Niphal imperfect usage
Word Studies¶
word-studies/H3563-kowc.md— כוס ("cup") — the central image, appearing 4× across these versesword-studies/H8354-shathah.md— שתה ("to drink") — the core verb of judgment consumptionword-studies/TR-shathah-pino.md— translation relationship for drinking verbs
Potential New Entries (gaps identified)¶
- Piel stem of violent intensification — no canonical Piel stem entry yet; useful for תְּגָרֵמִי / תְּנַתֵּקִי and parallel passages
- Casus pendens (CPen) topic-fronting — no entry yet; Ezek 23:33b is a textbook example
- Emphatic independent pronoun + finite verb (אֲנִי דִבַּרְתִּי) — no entry yet; a recurring divine-speech signature
- Articular adjectives modifying definite construct chains — no entry yet; v. 32 הָעֲמֻקָּה וְהָרְחָבָה modifying כוס אחותך