| 16. Linguistic Exegesis The verse employs a sequence of imperatives—hateh {הַטֵּה | ha-ṭēh} “bend,” pekakh {פְּקַ֧ח | pə-qaḥ} “open,” and shama {וּשְׁמַע | šə-māʿ} “hear”—addressed directly to Yahweh {יְהוָה | yə-hō-wāh}, creating a vivid plea. The vocative “O LORD” intensifies the urgent appeal. The object marker et {אֵת | ʾēt} preceding divrei Sennacherib {דִּבְרֵי סַנְחֵרִיב | dib-rê san-ḥē-rîḇ} frames Sennacherib’s words as the content for divine attention. The relative clause asher shelakho lekharef Elohim chai {אֲשֶׁר שְׁלָחוֹ לְחָרֵף אֱלֹהִים חָי} specifies that these words were sent “to reproach the living God,” coupling contempt with affirmation of God’s vitality. The repetition of imperatives and parallel structure in English mirrors the Hebrew’s rhetorical force. |