| 33. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with an emphatic infinitive absolute ha-hatsel {הַהַצֵּל | haḥ-ṣēl} followed by the perfect hitzilu {הִצִּילוּ | ḥit-ṣī-lū}, intensifying the interrogative challenge. The construct chain elohei hagoyim {אֱלֹהֵי הַגּוֹיִם | ʾĕ-lō-hê ha-gô-yim} collectivizes all foreign deities. The idiom ish et-artso {אִישׁ אֶת־אַרְצ֑וֹ | ʾīš ʾet ʾăr-ṣô} literally “each one his land” conveys “every nation its own territory.” The phrase miyad melech Ashur {מִיַּד מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר | mi-yaḏ me-leḵ ʾaš-šūr} specifies Assyria as the oppressor. English preserves Hebrew word order to maintain the rhetorical taunt. |