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Chapter 16

Ezekiel 16:30

RBT Hebrew Interlinear:
ืžื” ืžึธื”
what/why/how!
4100
ืžื”
mรขh
Definition: properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjunctive senses
Root: or ืžื”; or ืž; or ืž; also ืžื”; a primitive particle;
Exhaustive: or ืžื”; or ืž; or ืž; also ืžื”; a primitive particle; properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjunctive senses; how (long, oft, (-soever)), (no-) thing, what (end, good, purpose, thing), whereby(-fore, -in, -to, -with), (for) why.
Pronoun interrogative
ืืžืœื” ืึฒืžึปืœึธื”
she has languished/drooping
535
ืืžืœ
สผรขmal
Definition: to droop; by implication to be sick, to mourn
Root: a primitive root;
Exhaustive: a primitive root; to droop; by implication to be sick, to mourn; languish, be weak, wax feeble.
Verb Qal participle passive feminine singular absolute
ืœื‘ืชืš ืœึดื‘ึผึธืชึตืšึฐ
to the daughter of yourself
9022
ืš
None
Definition: your, personal posessive - noun suffix: 2nd person feminine singular
Root: None
Exhaustive: Personal posessive pronoun - suffix for nouns, adjectives and passive participles: 2nd person feminine singular
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3826
ืœื‘ื”
libbรขh
Definition: the heart
Root: feminine of H3820 (ืœื‘);
Exhaustive: feminine of ืœื‘; the heart; heart.
Noun common feminine singular construct, Suffix pronominal second person feminine singular
ื ืื ื ึฐืึปื
he who whispers
5002
ื ืื
nแต‰สผum
Definition: an oracle
Root: from H5001 (ื ืื);
Exhaustive: from ื ืื; an oracle; (hath) said, saith.
Noun common both singular construct
ืื“ื ื™ ืึฒื“ึนื ึธื™
inner master of myself/pedastals
136
ืื“ื ื™
สผฤ‚dรดnรขy
Definition: the Lord (used as a proper name of God only)
Root: an emphatic form of H113 (ืื“ื•ืŸ);
Exhaustive: an emphatic form of ืื“ื•ืŸ; the Lord (used as a proper name of God only); (my) Lord.
Noun proper name
ื™ื”ื•ื” ื™ึฐื”ื•ื”
He Is
3069
ื™ื”ื•ื”
Yแต‰hรดvih
Definition: {YHWH}
Root: a variation of H3068 (ื™ื”ื•ื”) (used after H136 (ืื“ื ื™), and pronounced by Jews as H430 (ืืœื”ื™ื), in order to prevent the repetition of the same sound, since they elsewhere pronounce H3068 (ื™ื”ื•ื”) as H136 (ืื“ื ื™))
Exhaustive: a variation of ื™ื”ื•ื” (used after ืื“ื ื™, and pronounced by Jews as ืืœื”ื™ื, in order to prevent the repetition of the same sound, since they elsewhere pronounce ื™ื”ื•ื” as ืื“ื ื™); {YHWH}; God.
Noun proper name
ื‘ืขืฉื•ืชืš ื‘ึผึทืขึฒืฉื‚ื•ึนืชึตืšึฐ
within the making of yourself
9042
ืš
None
Definition: you, subject pronoun - subject 2nd person feminine singular
Root: None
Exhaustive: Personal subject pronoun - suffix for some adverbs and infinitives: 2nd person feminine singular
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6213a
ืขืฉื”
สปรขsรขh
Definition: to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
Root: a primitive root;
Exhaustive: a primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application; accomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, bruise, be busy, [idiom] certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal (with), deck, [phrase] displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in) execute(-ion), exercise, fashion, [phrase] feast, (fight-) ing man, [phrase] finish, fit, fly, follow, fulfill, furnish, gather, get, go about, govern, grant, great, [phrase] hinder, hold (a feast), [idiom] indeed, [phrase] be industrious, [phrase] journey, keep, labour, maintain, make, be meet, observe, be occupied, offer, [phrase] officer, pare, bring (come) to pass, perform, pracise, prepare, procure, provide, put, requite, [idiom] sacrifice, serve, set, shew, [idiom] sin, spend, [idiom] surely, take, [idiom] thoroughly, trim, [idiom] very, [phrase] vex, be (warr-) ior, work(-man), yield, use.
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9003
ื‘
None
Definition: in, by
Root: None
Exhaustive: in, at, against, on, among, with; according to, by, because of. prefix or inseparable preposition; combined with the definite article
Preposition, Verb Qal infinitive construct common, Suffix pronominal second person feminine singular
ืืช ืึถืชึพ
ืืช-self eternal
855
ืืช
สผรชth
Definition: a hoe or other digging implement
Root: of uncertain derivation;
Exhaustive: of uncertain derivation; a hoe or other digging implement; coulter, plowshare.
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853
ืืช
สผรชth
Definition: properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
Root: apparent contracted from H226 (ืื•ืช) in the demonstrative sense of entity;
Exhaustive: apparent contracted from ืื•ืช in the demonstrative sense of entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely); (as such unrepresented in English).
Direct object eternal self
ื›ืœ ื›ึผึธืœึพ
all
9014
ึพ
None
Definition: link
Root: None
Exhaustive: None
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3605
ื›ืœ
kรดl
Definition: properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
Root: or (Jeremiah 33:8) ื›ื•ืœ; from H3634 (ื›ืœืœ);
Exhaustive: or (Jeremiah 33:8) ื›ื•ืœ; from ื›ืœืœ; properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense); (in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).
Noun common both singular construct
ืืœื” ืึตืœึผึถื”
these/mighty-one/goddess
428
ืืœื”
สผรชl-leh
Definition: these or those
Root: prolonged from H411 (ืืœ);
Exhaustive: prolonged from ืืœ; these or those; an-(the) other; one sort, so, some, such, them, these (same), they, this, those, thus, which, who(-m).
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424
ืืœื”
สผรชlรขh
Definition: an oak or other strong tree
Root: feminine of H352 (ืื™ืœ);
Exhaustive: lemma ืืœื” first vowel, corrected to ืืœื”; feminine of ืื™ืœ; an oak or other strong tree; elm, oak, teil-tree.
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423
ืืœื”
สผรขlรขh
Definition: an imprecation
Root: from H422 (ืืœื”);
Exhaustive: from ืืœื”; an imprecation; curse, cursing, execration, oath, swearing.
Particle demonstrative
ืžืขืฉื” ืžึทืขึฒืฉื‚ึตื”
a work/action
4639
ืžืขืฉื”
maสปฤƒseh
Definition: an action (good or bad); generally, a transaction; abstractly, activity; by implication, a product (specifically, a poem) or (generally) property
Root: from H6213 (ืขืฉื”);
Exhaustive: from ืขืฉื”; an action (good or bad); generally, a transaction; abstractly, activity; by implication, a product (specifically, a poem) or (generally) property; act, art, [phrase] bakemeat, business, deed, do(-ing), labor, thing made, ware of making, occupation, thing offered, operation, possession, [idiom] well, (handy-, needle-, net-) work(ing, -manship), wrought.
Noun common both singular construct
ืืฉื” ืึดืฉืึผึธื”ึพ
a woman
9014
ึพ
None
Definition: link
Root: None
Exhaustive: None
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802
ืืฉื”
สผishshรขh
Definition: a woman
Root: feminine of H376 (ืื™ืฉ) or H582 (ืื ื•ืฉ); irregular plural, ื ืฉื™ื;(used in the same wide sense as H582 (ืื ื•ืฉ))
Exhaustive: feminine of ืื™ืฉ or ืื ื•ืฉ; irregular plural, ื ืฉื™ื;(used in the same wide sense as ืื ื•ืฉ); a woman; (adulter) ess, each, every, female, [idiom] many, [phrase] none, one, [phrase] together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English.
Noun common feminine singular absolute
ื–ื•ื ื” ื–ื•ึนื ึธื”
prostitute
2181
ื–ื ื”
zรขnรขh
Definition: to commit adultery (usually of the female, and less often of simple fornication, rarely of involuntary ravishment); figuratively, to commit idolatry (the Jewish people being regarded as the spouse of Jehovah)
Root: a primitive root (highly-fed and therefore wanton);
Exhaustive: a primitive root (highly-fed and therefore wanton); to commit adultery (usually of the female, and less often of simple fornication, rarely of involuntary ravishment); figuratively, to commit idolatry (the Jewish people being regarded as the spouse of Jehovah); (cause to) commit fornication, [idiom] continually, [idiom] great, (be an, play the) harlot, (cause to be, play the) whore, (commit, fall to) whoredom, (cause to) go a-whoring, whorish.
Verb Qal participle active feminine singular absolute
ืฉืœื˜ืช ืฉืึทืœึผึธื˜ึถืชืƒ
you dominated/controlled
9016

None
Definition: verseEnd
Root: None
Exhaustive: None
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7986
ืฉืœื˜ืช
shalleแนญeth
Definition: a vixen
Root: feminine from H7980 (ืฉืœื˜);
Exhaustive: feminine from ืฉืœื˜; a vixen; imperious.
Adjective adjective feminine singular absolute
RBT Translation:
what/why/how! she has languished/drooping to the daughter of yourself he who whispers inner master of myself/pedastals He Is within the making of yourself ืืช-self eternal all these/mighty-one/goddess a work/action a woman adulterous/prostitute you dominated/controlled
RBT Paraphrase:
To the Daughter of Monument/Zion
How she has drooped to the daughter of yourself10 โ€” a whisper of inner master of myself He Isโ€” you controlled/domineered within your making every self eternal mighty tree the act of a woman of adultery!
A drooping tree

ืืžืœ - to droop
ืืœื” - a mighty tree (#424)

"your making of every self eternal mighty one"

Julia Smith Literal 1876 Translation:
How thy heart languished, says the Lord Jehovah, in thy doing all these, the work of a woman, an imperious harlot;
LITV Translation:
How weak is your heart, declares the Lord Jehovah, since you do all these, the work of a woman, an overbearing prostitute,
Brenton Septuagint Translation:
Why should I make a covenant with thy daughter, saith the Lord, while thou doest all these things, the works of a harlot? and thou hast gone a-whoring in a threefold degree with thy daughters.

Footnotes

Eze. 16:30
Eze. 16:30

ืœื‘ืช is ืœึพ + ื‘ืช (“to [the] daughter”), not related to ืœื‘ (“heart”); the root letters ื‘–ืช identify it as “daughter,” so the meaning is determined by the root, not by phonetic similarity.

Formerly scholars tried to read it as a feminine of ืœื‘ (“heart”), comparing it to forms like ืœึดื‘ึผื•ึนืช (plural construct or collective of “heart”) or even forcing a “heart-of-you” sense. They isolated this into a one-off, once-occurring form. Some thought, like Brown-Driver-Briggs, that it was incorrect and needed to be "corrected" to "ืœึดื‘ึฐืจึดื™ืชึตืš" (which means your covenant). In all cases, no one would would translate it honestly according to what is written, but worked hard to emend the text and (magically) craft an entirely unused form for "heart" and then call it a "hapax" (single occuring) word. 

Parallel forms in the Hebrew Bible:

Verse Form Meaning
Deut. 22:17 ืœึฐื‘ึดืชึฐึผืšึธ “to your daughter”
Esther 2:7 ืœึฐื‘ึทืช “to/for a daughter”
Micah 4:8 ืœึฐื‘ึทืช “to the daughter”
Num. 30:16 ืœึฐื‘ึดืชึผื•ึน “to his daughter”

  • The form ืœื‘ืชืš in Ezekiel 16:30 is structurally parallel to these forms. It is a fully grammatical 2nd person singular feminine construct, meaning “to your daughter”, and does not require emendation.

  • Scholarly bias: The traditional translation of "your heart" is made up. The proposed emendation to ืœึดื‘ึฐืจึดื™ืชึตืšึฐ (“your covenant”) reflects a preference for theological or idiomatic sense over literal reading, rather than a textual necessity. It effectively erases what the text actually says, imposing a meaning that suit interpretive assumptions rather than the Hebrew itself.

  • Conclusion: There is no linguistic or grammatical need to “correct” ืœึดื‘ึธึผืชึตืšึฐ. It has a plain, clear meaning, and reading it as “to your daughter” is honest, straightforward translation. When the bias is not honesty, what is it? Theological bias, historical-critical bias, prescriptive bias, cognitive/expectation bias? The insistence on emendation is more about assumed awkwardness or theological expectations than textual evidence, and in all cases, not honest. The opposite of honesty in translation is projection: reading what you think “should” be there rather than what the text actually says.

The form ืืžืœื” clearly conveys “has drooped / is languishing / fading away”, fitting the Niphal perfect 3rd feminine singular.