| 23. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the coordinated clause vekhol-ha-aretz {וְכָל־הָאָרֶץ | wə·ḵāl-hā·ʾā·reṣ} ‘and all the land’ followed by the participle bokhim {בּוֹכִים֙ | bō·ḵîm} ‘weeping’ and the noun phrase qol gadol {קוֹל גָּד֔וֹל | qōl gā·dôl} ‘with a loud voice’. A parallel clause repeats with vekhol-ha-am {וְכָל־הָעָ֖ם | wə·ḵāl-hā·ʿām} ‘and all the people’ and ovrim {עֹֽבְרִים֙ | ʿō·wərîm} ‘passing over’, intensifying the communal movement. The next clause introduces the king with ve-hamelekh {וְהַמֶּ֗לֶךְ | wə·hā·me·lēḵ} ‘and the king’, followed by the singular participle over {עֹבֵר֙ | ʿō·wēr} ‘crossing’, marking his personal action amid the crowd. The location is specified by be-nakhal Kidron {בְּנַ֣חַל קִדְר֔וֹן | bə·na·ḥāl qi·drôn} ‘in the Kidron Valley’, after which the communal pattern resumes. The verse closes with the directional phrase al-penei-derekh {עַל־פְּנֵי־דֶ֖רֶךְ | ʿal-pə·nê-de·reḵ} ‘along the face of the way’ plus et-ha-midbar {אֶת־הַמִּדְבָּֽר | ʾet-ham·mid·bār} ‘the wilderness’, indicating movement toward refuge. The repetition of parallel participial clauses creates a sense of collective urgency, and the shift from plural to singular participle highlights the king’s distinct role. |