| 7. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the paired feminine imperatives lekhi {לְכִ֞י | lə-ḵî} ‘go’ and imri {אִמְרִ֣י | ʾim-rî}, addressing a female envoy and reflecting Hebrew’s gendered verb forms. The formula koh-amar {כֹּֽה־אָמַ֤ר | kôh-ʾā-mar} ‘thus said’ introduces an oracle speech. The double divine title Yahweh {יְהוָה֙ | yə-hō-wāh} ‘LORD’ and Elohei Yisrael {אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל | ʾĕ-lō-hê yiś-rā-ʾēl} ‘God of Israel’ asserts sovereign authority and covenant relationship. The conjunction yaan asher {יַ֛עַן אֲשֶׁ֥ר | ya-ʿan ʾă-šer} ‘because that’ marks the causal clause; the Hifʻil perfect harimotikha {הֲרִימֹתִ֖יךָ | hə-rî-mō-ṯî-ḵā} ‘I raised you up’ highlights divine agency. The prepositional phrase mitokh ha-am {מִתּ֣וֹךְ הָעָ֑ם | mit-tôḵ hā-‛ām} ‘from the midst of the people’ specifies origin, and the vav-consecutive va-etenkha {וָאֶתֶּנְךָ֣ | wā-ʾet-te-n-ḵā} ‘and I gave you’ introduces the grant of authority, encapsulated by nagid {נָגִ֔יד | nā-ḡîḏ} ‘leader’ and the possession phrase al ammi Yisrael {עַ֖ל עַמִּ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל | ʿal ‛am-mî yiś-rā-ʾēl} ‘over My people Israel.’ English syntax preserves the Hebrew oracular sequence and causal nuance. |