| 25. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the independent pronoun hu {הוּא | hû} ‘he’ referring to King Jeroboam II, followed by the Hiphil perfect verb heshiv {הֵשִׁיב | hê-šîw} ‘restored’ and its direct object et-gevul {אֶת־גְּבוּל | ʾeṯ-geb-hûl} ‘the boundary.’ The spatial expressions millevo ḥamat {מִלְּבֹוא חֲמָת | mil-le-ḇōʾ ḥă-māṯ} ‘from the entrance of Hamath’ and ad-yam ha-aravah {עַד־יָם הָעֲרָבָה | ʿad-yām hā-ʿă-rā-ḇâ} ‘until the Sea of the Arabah’ define northern and southern limits. The clause kidvar Yahweh Elohei Yisrael {כִּדְבַר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל | kî-ḏə-bar Yə-hō-wāh ʾĕ-lō-hê yiś-rā-ʾēl} attributes the restoration to divine commission. The relative clause asher dibber be-yad-avdo yonah {אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר בְּיַד־עַבְדּוֹ יוֹנָה | ʾa-šer dîb-ber bə-yaḏ-ʿav-dō yō-nā} specifies the prophetic mediator, emphasizing that the message’s authority rests in Jonah of Gath Hepher. |