| 13. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the imperative chazaq {חֲזַק | ḥăzaq} ‘be strong’, immediately paired with the cohortative wə-niṭḥazzəqāh {וְנִֽתְחַזְּקָה֙ | wə-niṭḥazzəqāh} ‘and let us strengthen ourselves’, forming a dyad that underscores both individual resolve and communal determination. The coordinated prepositional phrases bə-ʿad-ʿammênû {בְּעַד־עַמֵּ֔נוּ | bə-ʿad-ʿammênû} and ū-bə-ʿad {וּבְעַ֖ד | ū-bə-ʿad} introduce the objects “our people” and “cities,” emphasizing corporate solidarity. The construct chain ʿārê ʾĕlōhênû {עָרֵ֣י אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ | ʿārê ʾĕlōhênû} ‘cities of our God’ marks divine possession. The vav-consecutive clause wə-Yahweh hattōḇ bə-ʿênāyw yaʿăśeh {וַֽיהוָ֔ה הַטּ֥וֹב בְּעֵינָ֖יו יַעֲשֶֽׂה | wə-Yahweh hattōḇ bə-ʿênāyw yaʿăśeh} conveys the sovereign action of Yahweh, with hattōḇ ‘the good’ as the object of yaʿăśeh ‘He will do’ and the idiom bə-ʿênāyw ‘in His eyes’ expressing subjective divine evaluation. English shifts from Hebrew VSO to SVO to preserve motivational immediacy and theological emphasis on divine sovereignty. |