| 19. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive Qal imperfect vayyiqtsof {וַיִּקְצֹף | wayyiqṣōp̄} ‘he became angry’, establishing a past narrative action focused on divine emotion, followed by the prepositional phrase alav {עָלָיו | ʿā-lāyw} ‘at him’ marking the target of that emotion. The subject noun phrase ʾîš hāʾĕlōhîm {אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים | ʾîš hāʾĕlōhîm} ‘man of God’ designates a prophetic figure, and the subsequent vav-consecutive vayōmer {וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyōmer} ‘and he said’ introduces direct discourse. Within the quotation, the Hiphil infinitive construct lehakot {לְהַכּוֹת | lə-ḥăqqōṯ} ‘to strike’ governs the numerals chamesh ʾō-šeš pəʿāmîm {חָמֵשׁ אוֹ־שֵׁשׁ פְּעָמִים | ḥāmēš ʾō-šeš pəʿāmîm} ‘five or six times’, expressing hypothetical repeated action. The perfect form hikkîtā {הִכִּיתָ | hikkîtā} ‘you struck’ with the direct-object marker et-ʾărām {אֶת־אֲרָם | ʾet-ʾărām} directs the act toward Aram. The infinitive phrase ad-kallēh {עַד־כַּלֵּה | ʿad-kallēh} ‘until complete destruction’ specifies the intended outcome, and the contrasting conjunction wə-ʿattâ {וְעַתָּה | wə-ʿattâ} ‘but now’ introduces the Hiphil imperfect taqqēh {תַּכֶּה | taqqēh} ‘you will strike’, which limits the future action to three iterations. This sequence of verb forms and discourse markers highlights the shift from unrealized potential to a definitive, restricted judgment. |