| 19. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with wayyomer {וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyōmer} ‘and he said’, introducing reported speech. The prepositional phrase ʾălêhem {אֲלֵהֶם | ʾălêhem} ‘to them’ frames the intermediaries before identifying rav-šāqēh {רַב־שָׁקֵה | rav-šāqēh} ‘Rabshakeh’ as the Assyrian envoy. The command ʾimrū-nāʼ {אִמְרוּ־נָא | ʾimrū-nāʼ} ‘say now’ issues an urgent directive. The formulaic kōh-ʾāmar {כֹּה־אָמַר | kōh-ʾāmar} ‘thus has said’ signals the official proclamation. The construct chain ha-meleḵ ha-gāḏōl meleḵ ʾaššûr {הַמֶּלֶךְ הַגָּדוֹל מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר | ha-meleḵ ha-gāḏōl meleḵ ʾaššûr} ‘the great king, king of Assyria’ emphasizes royal authority by pairing title and epithet. The interrogative māh ha-biṭ-ḥôn ha-zzēh ʾăšer baṭaḥtā {מָה הַבִּטָּחוֹן הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר בָּטַחְתָּ | māh ha-biṭ-ḥôn ha-zzēh ʾăšer baṭaḥtā} ‘What is this confidence in which you trusted?’ combines an interrogative pronoun with a relative clause to challenge Hezekiah’s reliance. |