| 7. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the temporal marker veʿattāh {וְ֠עַתָּה | wə-ʿattāh} ‘and now,’ linking the oracle to the prior narrative. The prophetic formula kōh-tō·mār {כֹּֽה־תֹאמַ֞ר | kōh-tō·mār} ‘thus you shall say’ issues an imperative introduction to speech, followed by the address lə-ʿăv·dî lə-dā·wîd {לְעַבְדִּ֣י לְדָוִ֗יד | lə-ʿăv·dî lə-dā·wîd} ‘to My servant David.’ The declaration kōh ʾāmar Yahweh ṣə·vā·ʾōṯ {כֹּ֤ה אָמַר יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת | kōh ʾāmar Yəhōwāh ṣə·vā·ʾōṯ} marks divine speech. The perfect lə-qaḥ-tî-kā {לְקַחְתִּ֙יךָ֙ | lə-qaḥ-tî-kā} ‘I took you’ underscores completed divine action. The paired prepositional phrases min-han-nā·vēh min-ʾăḥă-rê {מִן־הַנָּוֶ֔ה מִֽן־אַחֲרֵ֖י | min-han-nā·vēh min-ʾăḥă-rê} ‘from the pasture, from after’ frame David’s pastoral origin with cumulative emphasis. The infinitive construct li-hyōt nā·gîḏ {לִהְיוֹת נָגִיד | li-hyōt nā·gîḏ} ‘to be ruler’ functions as the objective complement of divine purpose. Finally, ʿal ʿam-mî yiś-rā·ʼēl {עַ֖ל עַמִּי יִשְׂרָאֵֽל | ʿal ʿam-mî yiś-rā·ʼēl} ‘over My people Israel’ places the appointed leader in authority. The Hebrew repetition of kōh and the double min-min structure add rhetorical force, preserved in English through parallel phrasing. |