| 18. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the prefixed conjunction vav on u-mibbanekha {וּמִבָּנֶיךָ | ū-mibbā-nê-kā} ‘and from your sons’, linking back to the preceding oracle. The first relative asher {אֲשֶׁר | ’ăšer} clause introduces yetse’u {יֵצְא֧וּ | yē-ṣə-’û} ‘will come out’, marking a future departure; a second asher {אֲשֶׁר | ’ăšer} clause with tolid {תּוֹלִיד | tô-lîd} ‘you will beget’ defines those sons, creating nested relatives that emphasize personal loss. The imperfect yikkachu {יִקָּחוּ | yiqqā-ḥû} ‘they will take’ expresses active removal, while vehayu {וְהָיוּ | wə-hā-yû} ‘and they will be’ predicates sarisim {סָרִיסִים | să-rî-sîm} ‘eunuchs’. The construct phrase beheikhal melekh Bavel {בְּהֵיכַל מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל | bə-hēy-kāl me-lēḵ bā-vel} locates their service in the Babylonian royal palace. The sequence of imperfect verbs and cumulative relative clauses underscores the inevitability and personal scope of the judgment. |