| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the conjunction ki {כִּי | kî} ‘when,’ introducing a temporal clause headed by the Qal imperfect tetse {תֵצֵא | te-TSÊ’} ‘you go out.’ The prepositional phrase lamilchamah {לַמִּלְחָמָה | lam-mi-ḥā-mā(h)} ‘to war’ governs the adversaries marked by al-oyvekha {עַל־אֹיְבֶיךָ | ʿal-’ō-bê-kā} ‘against your enemies.’ A vav-consecutive perfect vera’ita {וְרָאִיתָ | wə-rā-’î-tā} ‘and you saw’ coordinates sus {ס֤וּס | sûs} ‘horse’ and va-rekhev {וָרֶ֙כֶב֙ | wə-re-ḵeḇ} ‘chariot’ with the construct ’am rav mimekha {עַם רַב מִמְּךָ | ’am rav mim-mə-kā} ‘a people more numerous than you,’ creating an accumulative list that heightens the perceived threat. The negative imperative lo tira {לֹא תִירָא | lō’ ṯî-rā’} ‘must not fear’ issues a prohibition, followed by the causal ki {כִּי | kî} ‘for,’ introducing the reason based on the compound divine name Yahweh Eloheikha {יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ | Yə-hō-wāh ʼĕ-lō-hê-kā} ‘LORD your God,’ reinforced by immakh {עִמָּךְ | ’im-mā-kh} ‘with you.’ The participial clause hama’alkha meeretz Mitzrayim {הַמַּעַלְךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם | ham-ma-‘āl-kā mē-’e-reṣ Miṣ-rā-yim} ‘the one who brought you up from the land of Egypt’ anchors the exhortation in historical deliverance. |