Exodus 17:16ExegesisTAB

Exodus 17 : 16 War | Judgment | Perpetuity
16. Linguistic Exegesis
The verse opens with vayomer {וַיֹּ֗אמֶר | way-yō-mer} introducing direct discourse. The conjunction ki {כִּֽי־ | kî} introduces a causal clause linked to Amalek’s aggression. The nominal clause “hand upon the throne of Yah” employs kes {כֵּ֣ס | kêś} “throne seat” in construct with yāh {יָ֔הּ | yāh} to convey divine sovereignty. The subsequent nominal clause “war to the LORD against Amalek” uses milchamah {מִלְחָמָ֥ה | mil-ḥā-māh} “war battle” as subject with la-Yahweh {לַיהוָ֖ה | la-Yahweh} indicating divine agency and ba-ʿămālek {בַּֽעֲמָלֵ֑ק | ba-ʿă-mā-lēq} marking the foe. The idiom mid-dōr dōr {מִדֹּר דֹּֽר | mid-dōr dōr} “from generation to generation” functions adverbially to denote perpetuity. In English, nominal clauses are rendered with “is” and “will have” to clarify the proclamation mood and temporal scope.

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