Grammar Analysis: Ezekiel 28:20-26 - Sidon and Israel Closing Frame¶
Scope. Passage-level structural analysis of Ezekiel 28:20-26 as the closing frame after the Tyre prince/king units. The entry documents the third word-of-YHWH formula, the Sidon oracle, and the Israel restoration/security conclusion.
Text¶
KJV anchors: - Ezek 28:20: "Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying," - Ezek 28:21: "Son of man, set thy face against Zidon, and prophesy against it," - Ezek 28:22: "Behold, I am against thee, O Zidon; and I will be glorified in the midst of thee..." - Ezek 28:24: "And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel..." - Ezek 28:25: "When I shall have gathered the house of Israel..." - Ezek 28:26: "And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards..."
Structural Markers¶
| Unit | Opening | Addressee / Topic | Main Grammar |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28:20-23 | wayhî dəbar-YHWH ... lē'mor |
Sidon | Command to set face and prophesy; judgment with recognition formula |
| 28:24 | Negative transition | Israel in relation to surrounding despisers | loʾ yihyeh ʿod removes the thorn/brier role from surrounding nations |
| 28:25-26 | koh amar Adonai YHWH |
House of Israel | Gathering + sanctification + settlement + security + recognition formula |
Word-by-Word Parsing: Key Forms¶
| Reference | Hebrew | Lemma | Parsing | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eze 28:20 | וַיְהִי | היה | Verb.Qal.Wayq.3ms | be |
| Eze 28:20 | דְבַר | דבר | Noun.ms.Cst | word |
| Eze 28:21 | שִׂים | שׂים | Verb.Qal.Impv.2ms | put/set |
| Eze 28:21 | פָּנֶיךָ | פנה | Noun.mp.Abs.+2ms | your face |
| Eze 28:21 | הִנָּבֵא | נבא | Verb.Niphal.Impv.2ms | prophesy |
| Eze 28:22 | נִכְבַּדְתִּי | כבד | Verb.Niphal.Perf.1s | be glorified |
| Eze 28:22 | נִקְדַּשְׁתִּי | קדשׁ | Verb.Niphal.Perf.1s | be sanctified |
| Eze 28:23 | שִׁלַּחְתִּי | שׁלח | Verb.Piel.Perf.1s | send |
| Eze 28:24 | יִהְיֶה | היה | Verb.Qal.Impf.3ms | be |
| Eze 28:25 | קַבְּצִי | קבץ | Verb.Piel.InfCon.+1cs | my gathering |
| Eze 28:25 | נָפֹצוּ | פוץ | Verb.Niphal.Perf.3p | be scattered |
| Eze 28:26 | יָשְׁבוּ | ישׁב | Verb.Qal.Perf.3p | dwell |
| Eze 28:26 | בָנוּ | בנה | Verb.Qal.Perf.3p | build |
| Eze 28:26 | נָטְעוּ | נטע | Verb.Qal.Perf.3p | plant |
Clause Structure¶
| Verse | Clause Type | Text | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28:20 | WayX + InfC | wayhî dəbar-YHWH ʾēlay + lē'mor |
Third divine-speech opener in the chapter |
| 28:21 | ZIm0 + WIm0 | śîm panêkha ʾel-ṣidon + wə-hinnābēʾ ʿāleyhā |
Double imperative commission |
| 28:22 | NmCl + WQt0 | hinnenî ʿālayikh + wə-nikhbadtî ... |
YHWH-opposition plus divine-glorification result |
| 28:24 | WxY0 | wə-loʾ yihyeh ʿod ... |
Negative future-state transition |
| 28:25 | InfC + WQt0 | bə-qabbəṣî ... + wə-niqdastî ... |
Temporal gathering frame and sanctification |
| 28:26 | WQt0 chain | wə-yashbu ... u-banu ... wə-natʿu ... wə-yashbu ... |
Settlement-security sequence |
Key Grammatical Features¶
1. Third Word-of-YHWH Formula¶
Ezek 28:20 repeats the same formula as vv.1 and 11: Qal wayyiqtol of היה + construct chain דְבַר יְהוָה + אֵלַי + infinitive לֵאמֹר. This marks the Sidon/restoration material as a new unit, not merely an appendix to the king lament.
2. Double Imperative Commission Against Sidon¶
Ezek 28:21 uses Qal imperative שִׂים ("set") with object פָּנֶיךָ, then Niphal imperative הִנָּבֵא ("prophesy") with feminine suffix עָלֶיהָ, agreeing with Sidon as the city-addressee. This is standard prophetic targeting grammar.
3. Sidon Judgment Produces Recognition¶
Ezek 28:22-23 repeats the recognition formula with וְיָדְעוּ כִּי־אֲנִי יְהוָה. The judgment verbs are first-person divine actions (נִכְבַּדְתִּי, נִקְדַּשְׁתִּי, שִׁלַּחְתִּי), while the result is third-person plural knowing.
4. Israel Restoration Is a Closing Frame¶
Ezek 28:25-26 shifts from Sidon to בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל, a construct chain. The grammar moves from divine gathering (בְּקַבְּצִי) and sanctification (וְנִקְדַּשְׁתִּי) to Israel's plural settlement verbs: יָשְׁבוּ, בָנוּ, נָטְעוּ, יָשְׁבוּ. The repeated לָבֶטַח frames security as the final state.
Cross-References¶
Generated from: hebrew_parser.py --verse/--clause for Eze 28:20-26; KJV corpus lookup. Last updated: 2026-05-07