| 27. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative opens with the vav-consecutive in vayetzav {וַיְצַ֨ו | wə-yə-ṣaḇ} ‘and he commanded’, linking the decree to prior events. The compound subject melech-ashur {מֶֽלֶךְ־אַשּׁ֜וּר | mēleḵ-ʾaš-šûr} ‘king of Assyria’ establishes Assyrian authority. The phrase le'emor {לֵאמֹ֗ר | lē-ʾā-môr} introduces direct speech. The Hiphil imperative holikhu {הֹלִ֤יכוּ | hô-lî-ḵû} ‘bring’ issues a causative command with the locative adverb shamma {שָׁ֙מָּה֙ | šammâ} ‘there’. A relative clause meha-kohanim asher higlitem misham {מֵהַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הִגְלִיתֶ֣ם מִשָּׁ֔ם | mē-hā-kō-hă-nîm ʾăšer hig-gə-lî-tem mi-šām} ‘from the priests whom you exiled from there’ specifies the returning individual. The sequential imperatives veyelchu {וְיֵלְכוּ | wə-yē-lĕ-ḵû} ‘and let them go’ and veyeshevu {וְיֵ֣שְׁבוּ | wə-yē-šĕ-vû} ‘and let them dwell’ articulate resettlement. The final Hiphil imperfect veyorem {וְיֹרֵ֕ם | wə-yō-rêm} ‘and let him teach’ introduces instruction and is followed by the object et-mishpat Elohei ha-aretz {אֶת־מִשְׁפַּ֖ט אֱלֹהֵ֥י הָאָֽרֶץ | ʾet-miš-pāṭ ʾĕ-lō-hê hā-ʾā-reṣ} ‘the custom of the God of the land’, denoting the localized religious practice. The English rendering preserves Hebrew sequence while clarifying referents and function of each clause. |