| 19. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the covenant formula vehayah {וְהָיָ֗ה | wə-hā-yā} ‘and it shall be’, introducing a stipulation. The subject ha’ish {הָאִישׁ֙ | hā-ʾîš} ‘the man’ is followed by two relative clauses introduced by asher {אֲשֶׁ֤ר | ă-šer}. The protasis lo yishma’ {לֹֽא־יִשְׁמַע֙ | lō yiš-maʿ} ‘does not listen’ takes the object devarai {דְּבָרַ֔י | də-ḇā-rāy} ‘my words’, further specified by asher yedabber bishmi {אֲשֶׁ֥ר יְדַבֵּ֖ר בִּשְׁמִ֑י | ă-šer yə-dab-bēr biš-mî} ‘which he speaks in my name’, heightening the connection to prophetic speech. The apodosis begins with the emphatic anokhi {אָנֹכִ֖י | ʾā-nō-ḵî} ‘I’, then the judicial idiom edrosh meimmo {אֶדְרֹ֥שׁ מֵעִמּֽוֹ | ʾed-rōš mē-ʿim-mō} ‘I will require from him’, establishing divine accountability under the covenant. The vav-consecutive perfect frames a future obligation within this legal stipulation. |