| 46. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with a direct address ben adam {בֶּן־אָדָם | ben-ʾā-dām} ‘son of man,’ establishing Ezekiel’s representative role. The idiomatic imperative sim panekha {שִׂם פָּנֶיךָ | śîm pā-ne-ḵā} ‘set your face’ focuses the prophet’s intent. The noun phrase derekh teimanah {דֶּרֶךְ תֵּימָנָה | de-reḵ tê-mā-nāh} ‘way of the south’ specifies geographical orientation. The Hiphil imperative vehattef {וְהַטֵּף | wə-hat-têf} ‘utter’ and the Niphal imperative vehinave {וְהִנָּבֵא | wə-hin-nā-vê} ‘prophesy’ form parallel oracular commands. The prepositional phrases el darom {אֶל־דָּרוֹם | ʾel-dā-rōm} ‘to the south’ and el yaar {אֶל־יַעַר | ʾel-ya-ʿar} ‘to the forest’ direct the oracle to specific locations, while the construct ha-sadeh negev {הַשָּׂדֶה נֶגֶב | ha-śā-deh ne-gev} ‘the field of the Negev’ anchors the prophecy in the southern desert. The cumulative sequence of imperatives and destinations underscores the prophet’s movement from orientation to proclamation. |