| 13. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the conjunction ki {כִּי | kî} ‘because’, signaling a causal relationship. The temporal expression lə·mabbārišônāh {לְמַבָּרִאשׁוֹנָה | lə-mabbā-rî-ʾō-nāh} ‘the first time’ establishes the initial occasion. The negation lōʾ {לֹא | lōʾ} plus the pronoun ʾā·ṯem {אַתֶּם | ʾā-ṯem} highlights the collective failure. The verb pā·raṣ {פָּרַץ | pā-raṣ} ‘burst forth’ conveys the suddenness of divine response. The compound name Yahweh ʾĕ·lō·hē·nû {יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ | Yə-hō-wāh ʾĕ-lō-hê-nû} foregrounds the covenant LORD’s action. The preposition bə·nû {בָּנוּ | bā-nû} ‘against us’ marks the object of divine outbreak. In the second clause, the conjunction kî-lōʾ {כִּי־לֹא | kî-lōʾ} ‘for not’ introduces the reason for the breach: the failure to consult, expressed by də·rā·šnû·hû {דְרַשְׁנֻהוּ | də-rā-šnû-hû} ‘inquire of him’. The phrase ka·miš·pāṭ {כַּמִּשְׁפָּט | ka-miš-pāṭ} ‘according to the ordinance’ specifies the prescribed procedure. The English order mirrors the Hebrew sequence of cause, divine action, and legal rationale. |