| 11. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the causal conjunction ki {כִּי | ki} ‘for/because’, linking advice to its rationale. The verb ya‘aṣtî {יָעַ֗צְתִּי | yā-‘aṣ-tî} ‘I have counseled’ introduces direct first-person speech. The infinitive absolute hē’assôp {הֵ֠אָסֹף | hē-’as-sôp} ‘to gather (intensive)’ affirms certainty, followed by the niphal imperfect yē’āsēp {יֵאָסֵ֨ף | yē-’ā-sêp} ‘he will be gathered’, marking passive voice. The phrase ‘ālêkhā {עָלֶ֤יךָ | ‘ā-lê-khā} ‘upon you’ centers the king. The coordinate expression kōl-yiśrā’ēl … wə‘aḏ-bər-šēḇa‘ {כָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל … וְעַד־בְּאֵ֣ר שֶׁ֔בַע | kôl-yis-rā-’êl … wə-‘aḏ-bər-šĕ-ḇā‘} spans Israel’s territory. The simile kaḥōl ’ăšer ’al-hayyām {כַּח֥וֹל אֲשֶׁר־עַל־הַיָּ֖ם | ka-ḥôl ’ă-šer ’al-hat-yā-m} ‘like sand on the sea’ conveys hyperbole, with la-rōḇ {לָרֹ֑ב | la-rō̆ḇ} ‘for abundance’ explaining purpose. Finally, ū-pənêḵā hô-lĕḵîm ba-qarāḇ {וּפָנֶ֥יךָ הֹלְכִ֖ים בַּקְרָֽב | ū-pə-nê-khā hô-lê-kîm ba-qā-rāḇ} ‘and your presence walking in the battle’ denotes personal leadership. English word order is adapted to reflect the Hebrew parallelism and emphasis. |