| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the prefixed verb vayavo {וַיָּבֹ֤א | wayyābōʾ} ‘and he came’, placing narrative emphasis on the arrival of the message. The locative expression elav miktav {אֵלָיו֙ מִכְתָּ֔ב | ʾēlāyw miḵtāv} marks the recipient and medium. The source phrase me-elyahu hanavi {מֵֽאֵלִיָּ֥הוּ הַנָּבִ֖יא | meʾēlîyyāhû hannāḇîʾ} identifies the prophet, while the infinitival marker le'emor {לֵאמֹ֑ר | lêʾmôr} introduces direct speech. The prophetic formula koh amar Yahweh Elohei David avikha {כֹּ֣ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֗ה אֱלֹהֵי֙ דָּוִ֣יד אָבִ֔יךָ | kôh ʾāmar yəhōwāh ʼĕlōhê dāwîḏ ʼāḇîḵā} merges an emphatic adverb, perfect verb, and compound divine name to assert authority. The causal conjunction tachat asher {תַּ֗חַת אֲשֶׁ֤ר | taḥaṯ ʾašer} links to the perfect clause lo-halachta be-darkhei… {לֹֽא־הָלַכְתָּ֙ בְּדַרְכֵי֙ | lōʾ-hālaḥtā bəḏarḵê}, expressing completed failure, and the coordinate u-be-darkhei… {וּבְדַרְכֵ֖י | ûḇəḏarḵê} repeats the structure for parallelism. The English rendering positions “a letter” or “Jehoram” as subject for smooth flow while preserving the Hebrew causal and parallel syntax. |