| 19. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the emphatic pronoun anokhi {אָנֹכִ֕י | ʾă-nō-ḵî} ‘I’, establishing speaker authority. The construct phrase shelumei emunai Yisrael {שְׁלֻמֵ֖י אֱמוּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל | še-lū-mê ʾə-mū-nê yis-rā-ʼēl} links two participles defining identity within Israel. The shift to second person atah mevaqesh {אַתָּ֣ה מְבַקֵּ֗שׁ | ʾăṯ-tāh mə-vā-qēš} frames the accusation, with the Hiphil infinitive lehamit {לְהָמִ֨ית | lə-hā-mîṯ} ‘to put to death’ governing the objects ir ve-em {עִ֤יר וְאֵם֙ | ʿîr wə-ēm} ‘city and mother’ in a maternal metaphor. The interrogative lamah tebal-la {לָ֥מָּה תְבַלַּ֖ע | lā-māh tə-bal-lā} introduces a rhetorical challenge, and the construct nachalat Yahweh {נַחֲלַ֥ת יְהוָֽה | na-ḥa-lat yə-hō-wāh} ‘inheritance of the LORD’ underscores divine-covenantal possession. |