Ezekiel 21:12
וְהָיָה֙ כִּֽי־יֹאמְר֣וּ אֵלֶ֔יךָ עַל־מָ֖ה אַתָּ֣ה נֶאֱנָ֑ח וְאָמַרְתָּ֡ אֶל־שְׁמוּעָ֣ה כִֽי־בָאָ֡ה וְנָמֵ֣ס כָּל־לֵב֩ וְרָפ֨וּ כָל־יָדַ֜יִם וְכִהֲתָ֣ה כָל־ר֗וּחַ וְכָל־בִּרְכַּ֨יִם֙ תֵּלַ֣כְנָה מַּ֔יִם הִנֵּ֤ה בָאָה֙ וְנִֽהְיָ֔תָה נְאֻ֖ם אֲדֹנָ֥י יְהוִֽה׃
Anticipatory Syntax: וְהָיָה כִּי־יֹאמְרוּ אֵלֶיךָ
וְהָיָה — A wayyiqtol 3ms of הָיָה, often translated “and it shall come to pass.” A frequent prophetic introduction setting a future condition.
כִּי־יֹאמְרוּ אֵלֶיךָ — “when they say to you…”
- יֹאמְרוּ — Qal imperfect 3mp, with subject implied (the people)
- אֵלֶיךָ — “to you” — 2ms prepositional suffix
Together, this conditional clause sets up a rhetorical interaction: the prophet’s public actions will provoke a question.
The Sign-Act Explained: עַל־מָה אַתָּה נֶאֱנָח
עַל־מָה — “Why?” or “For what reason?”
נֶאֱנָח — Niphal participle ms from אָנַח, “to groan, sigh.” A reflexive/passive form, used as a verbal adjective describing the prophet’s visible behavior.
אַתָּה נֶאֱנָח — “You are groaning.”
The Divine Message: וְאָמַרְתָּ אֶל־שְׁמוּעָה כִּי־בָאָה
וְאָמַרְתָּ — Qal perfect 2ms from אָמַר, “you shall say.”
אֶל־שְׁמוּעָה — “Concerning a report” or “a rumor.” From שׁ־מ־ע, this feminine noun can refer to news, proclamation, or message — often used of incoming disaster or war.
כִּי־בָאָה — “Because it is coming.”
- בָאָה — Qal perfect 3fs — agreeing with שְׁמוּעָה.
The disaster is not hypothetical — it is on the move.
Physical Collapse as Prophecy: וְנָמֵס כָּל־לֵב …
Four vivid bodily images cascade here — expressing total breakdown:
- וְנָמֵס כָּל־לֵב — “Every heart shall melt.”
נָמֵס — Niphal perfect 3ms from מ־ס־ס, “to melt” — expressing emotional disintegration. - וְרָפוּ כָל־יָדַיִם — “All hands shall become weak.”
רָפוּ — Qal perfect 3cp, from ר־פ־ה, “to grow slack.” Symbol of lost strength and helplessness. - וְכִהֲתָה כָל־רוּחַ — “All spirit shall be dimmed.”
כִהֲתָה — Qal perfect 3fs, from כ־ה־ה, “to be dim, faint.” This suggests a spiritual or emotional fading. - וְכָל־בִּרְכַּיִם תֵּלַכְנָה מַּיִם — “All knees shall go [like] water.”
A poetic idiom: תֵּלַכְנָה — Qal imperfect 3fp from ה־ל־ך, “to walk” — the phrase expresses trembling or collapse.
The Prophetic Certainty: הִנֵּה בָאָה וְנִהְיָתָה
הִנֵּה — “Behold” — signals certainty and immediacy.
בָאָה — Repeated verb — “it is coming” (3fs).
וְנִהְיָתָה — Niphal perfect 3fs from ה־י־ה, “it has become / come to pass.”
The prophecy is not conditional — its grammar expresses irreversible realization.
נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה — “A declaration of the Lord GOD” — the divine seal on this chilling oracle.
Parsing Table: Key Forms in Ezekiel 21:12
| Hebrew Word | Root | Form | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| נֶאֱנָח | א־נ־ח | Niphal participle ms | Describes the prophet’s behavior (groaning) |
| נָמֵס | מ־ס־ס | Niphal perfect 3ms | Melting of the heart — emotional collapse |
| רָפוּ | ר־פ־ה | Qal perfect 3cp | Weakening of hands — loss of strength |
| כִהֲתָה | כ־ה־ה | Qal perfect 3fs | Dimmed spirit — fading inner strength |
| תֵּלַכְנָה | ה־ל־ך | Qal imperfect 3fp | Knees collapse — idiom for trembling |
The Groan Before the Storm
In Ezekiel 21:12, grammar becomes groaning. The prophet’s actions invite public questioning, and his response delivers a theology of collapse. Verbless clauses give way to powerful perfect verbs — certainty, not speculation. Niphal and Qal forms dominate, reflecting both passive devastation and active judgment. The syntax mirrors the structure of fear: beginning with a whisper and ending in a thunderous inevitability. This is not just prophecy — it is performance woven in grammar.
