| 44. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative employs the vav-consecutive in vayomer {וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | wayyōmer} ‘and he said’ to introduce an imprecatory oath. The parallel structure koh ya‘ăśeh ʾĕlōhîm wə-kôh yôsîp̄ {כֹּֽה־יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים וְכֹ֣ה יוֹסִ֑ף | kôh ya‘ăśeh ʾĕlōhîm wə-kôh yôsîp̄} uses repeated koh {כֹּה | kôh} ‘thus’ to frame two divine invocations. The phrase kî mōṯ tāmût {כִּֽי־מ֥וֹת תָּמ֖וּת | kî mōṯ tāmût} shows the infinitive absolute mōṯ {מ֥וֹת | mōṯ} ‘dying’ plus the imperfect tāmût {תָּמ֖וּת | tāmût} ‘you will die’, a common Hebrew intensification pattern expressing certainty. The accusative proper name yônāṯān {יוֹנָתָֽן | yônāṯān} closes the declaration, focusing the legal pronouncement on Jonathan. The English renderings preserve the solemn parallel oath structure and the force of the infinitive absolute construction. |