| 26. Linguistic Exegesis The conjunction ki {כִּי | kî} ‘because’ introduces a causal clause headed by the Qal perfect verb ra’ah {רָאָ֧ה | rā’â} ‘he saw,’ indicating completed divine perception. The direct-object phrase et-’ōnî yisrā’ēl {אֶת־עֳנִי יִשְׂרָאֵל | ’et-’ōnî yisrā’ēl} ‘the affliction of Israel’ follows. The attributive pair moreh mē’ōḏ {מֹרֶה מְאֹד | mōrê mē’ōḏ} ‘bitter and very’ intensifies the noun. The double negative wə-’ēp̄es ‘āṣūr and wə-’ēp̄es ‘āzûḇ {וְאֶפֶס עָצוּר וְאֶפֶס עָזֻב} ‘and none confined and none abandoned’ pairs the negative particle with passive participles to convey absolute lack of any state. The concluding clause wə-’ēn ‘ōzēr {וְאֵין עֹזֵר | wə-’ēn ‘ōzēr} ‘and there was no helper’ uses existential negation to underscore Israel’s helpless condition. |