| 13. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the paired imperatives lechu {לְכוּ | ləḵū} “go” and dirshu {דִרְשׁוּ | diršû} “inquire,” highlighting the urgent command to seek divine counsel. The prepositional series baʿadi {בַּעֲדִי | baʿă-dî}, ūveʿad-haʿam {וּבְעַד־הָעָם | ū-ve-ʿăḏ-hā-ʿām}, and ūveʿad kol-Yehudah {וּבְעַד כָּל־יְהוּדָה | ū-ve-ʿăḏ kol-Yə-hū-ḏāh} extends the appeal from the king to the people and to all Judah. The construct chain dibrei ha-sefer hanimtza hazeh {דִּבְרֵי הַסֵּפֶר הַנִּמְצָא הַזֶּה | dibrē ha-se-pher ha-nim-ṣāʾ ha-zzeh} “the words of this book that has been found” centers on the rediscovered text. The conjunction kî {כִּי | kî} introduces the explanation that the ḥammat Yahweh {חֲמַת יְהוָה | ḥă-mat Yəhōwāh} “the wrath of the LORD” is kindled, with the Nifal perfect participle nitsetah {נִצְּתָה | niṣ-ṣe-tāh} conveying passive eruption of divine fury. The relative clause ʾasher lo-shamau avoteinu {אֲשֶׁר לֹא־שָׁמְעוּ אֲבֹתֵינוּ | ʾă-šer lo-ša-ma-ʿû ʾā-bō-tê-nû} assigns corporate culpability to the fathers’ failure to heed covenant instruction, leading into the purpose infinitive laasot kəkol hakatav aleinu {לַעֲשׂוֹת כְּכָל־הַכָּתוּב עָלֵינוּ | la-ʿă-śôṯ kə-kol ha-qā-tūv ʿā-lê-nû} “to do according to all that is written concerning us.” |