| 3. Linguistic Exegesis The verse presents a tripartite imperative sequence: lekh {לֵ֣ךְ | lē-ḵ} ‘go’, ūpānîṯā {וּפָנִ֥יתָ | ū-pā-nî-ṯā} ‘and turn’, wə-niśtartā {וְנִסְתַּרְתָּ֙ | wə-niś-tar-tā} ‘and hide’. The prepositional phrase mî-zeh {מִזֶּ֔ה | mî-zeh} ‘from here’ and the dative lə-ḵā {לְּךָ֖ | lə-ḵā} ‘for yourself’ specify origin and personal benefit. The directional adverb qē-ḏmā {קֵ֑דְמָה | qē-ḏmā} ‘eastward’ guides motion. The locative construct chain bə-na-ḥal kə-rîṯ {בְּנַ֣חַל כְּרִ֔ית | bə-na-ḥal kə-rîṯ} ‘in the brook Cherith’ is defined by the relative clause ʾa-šer ʿal-pə-nê ha-yar-ḏēn {אֲשֶׁר עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַיַּרְדֵּֽן | ʾa-šer ʿal-pə-nê ha-yar-ḏēn} ‘which is east of the Jordan’, where ʿal conveys adjacency eastward. This linear, locative progression underscores the prophet’s divinely directed path to refuge. |