| 25. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with atah {עַתָּה֙ | ’aṭ-ṭā-hā} ‘now’, which sets immediate temporal focus. The interrogative particle hamibal‘adei {הֲמִבַּלְעֲדֵ֣י | hă-mîḇal-’ă-ḏē} ‘apart from’ creates an absolutive question that underscores the necessity of divine presence. The clause alitiy {עָלִ֛יתִי | ’ā-lî-tî} ‘I went up’ (Qal perfect first-person singular) is followed by the prepositional phrase al-hamakom hazeh {עַל־הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה | ’al-hă-mā-qôm hă-zé} ‘against this place’, with the Hiphil infinitive construct lehashkhito {לְהַשְׁחִיתוֹ | lĕ-hash-khî-tô} ‘to destroy it’ expressing purpose. In the response clause, the divine subject Yahweh {יְהוָה | yĕ-hō-wāh} and verb ’amar {אָמַר | ’ā-mar} introduce direct discourse, followed by the imperative ’aleh {עֲלֵה | ’ă-lêh} ‘go up’ and ve-hashkhitah {וְהַשְׁחִיתָהּ | wĕ-hash-khê-tāh} ‘and destroy her’, each governing the locative phrase al-ha-aretz hazot {עַל־הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת | ’al-hă-’ā-rĕṣ hă-zôt} ‘against this land’. The shift from interrogative to imperative emphasizes the transition from question to divine command, reflecting the Hebrew use of discourse markers to convey authority and purpose. |