| 15. Linguistic Exegesis The Hebrew narrative particle vayomer {וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyōmer} ‘and he said’ introduces divine speech. The imperative hakshiv’u {הַקְשִׁיבוּ | haqšîḇû} ‘listen’ addresses Judah, Jerusalem’s inhabitants, and the king, setting corporate focus. The oracle formula koh-amar {כֹּה־אָמַר | kôʾ-ʾāmar} ‘thus said’ with the divine name Yahweh {יְהוָה | Yəhōwāh} signals prophetic authority. The paired negative imperatives al-tir’u and ve-al-techat’u {אַל־תִּירְאוּ | al-tîrʾû; וְאַל־תֵּחַתּוּ} ‘do not fear or be dismayed’ function to counter emotional response. The phrase mi-pnei hamon harav hazeh {מִפְּנֵי הֶהָמוֹן הָרָב הַזֶּה | mippenê hēmôn hārāv ha-zēh} ‘because of this great multitude’ uses a construct chain and postpositive adjective for emphasis. The nominal clause ki lo lachem hammilchamah ki Elohim {כִּי לֹא לָכֶם הַמִּלְחָמָה כִּי אֶל־אֱלֹהִים} ‘for the battle is not yours but God’s’ inverts word order to highlight divine ownership. The English rendering preserves this structure and theological intensity. |