| 22. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative opens with the vav-consecutive wayyiqqaš {וַיִּגַּשׁ | wayyiqqaš} ‘and he approached’, establishing a sequence of events. The subject hanabbiʾ {הַנָּבִיא | hanabbiʾ} ‘the prophet’ is followed by the prepositional phrase ʾel-meleḵ yiśrāʼēl {אֶל־מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל | ʾel-meleḵ yiśrāʼēl}, indicating his movement toward the king of Israel. The next vav-consecutive wayyōmer {וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyōmer} ‘and he said’ introduces a triad of imperatives—hitḥazzǎq {הִתְחַזַּק | hitḥazzǎq} ‘strengthen yourself’, wədaʿ {וְדַע | wədaʿ} ‘know’, and ûreʼeh {וּרְאֵה | ûreʼeh} ‘see’—emphasizing the proactive preparation required. The construct li-teshuvat ha-šānāh {לִתְשׁוּבַת הַשָּׁנָה | liltešūḇat haš-šānāh} serves as a temporal clause, marking the cyclical timing of the year’s return. Finally, the participle ʿōle {עֹלֶה | ʿōle} ‘is going up’ functions metaphorically for military invasion, and the suffixed preposition ʿālāyḵā {עָלֶיךָ | ʼālayḵā} marks the target. The translation retains the original sequence and urgency while clarifying idiomatic temporal and military imagery. |