Tag Archives: Ezekiel 39:14

Purification and Imperfective Syntax in Ezekiel 39:14: Grammar in the Service of Eschatology

Introduction: Ritual Cleanup and Eschatological Renewal Ezekiel 39:14 describes a strange and solemn task given to a group of designated men after the apocalyptic battle involving Gog: they are to search for and bury corpses in order to purify the land. The verse is part of the broader theological arc of Ezekiel 38–39, which deals with the defeat of foreign invaders and the vindication of YHWH. The verse reads: וְאַנְשֵׁ֨י תָמִ֤יד יַבְדִּ֨ילוּ֙ עֹבְרִ֣ים בָּאָ֔רֶץ מְקַבְּרִ֣ים אֶת־הָעֹבְרִ֗ים אֶת־הַנֹּותָרִ֛ים עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הָאָ֖רֶץ לְטַֽהֲרָ֑הּ מִקְצֵ֥ה שִׁבְעָֽה־חֳדָשִׁ֖ים יַחְקֹֽרוּ׃ And men of constant duty shall separate out, passing through the land, burying those who pass through—those left upon the face of the land—to cleanse it; at the end of seven months they shall search.… Learn Hebrew
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