| 16. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with a hypothetical conditional clause introduced by the numeral phrase sheloshet ha-anashim ha-eleh {שְׁלֹשֶׁת הָאֲנָשִׁ֣ים הָאֵלֶּה | šəlōšet hā-ʾănāšîm hā-ʾēlleh} ‘these three men’, functioning as the subject. Their location is specified by the prepositional phrase betochah {בְּתוֹכָהּ | bə-tōḵāh} ‘in its midst’. An oath formula appears next: chai-ani {חַי־אָ֗נִי | ḥay ʾānî} ‘as I live’, introducing the prophetic utterance neum {נְאֻם | nəʾum} ‘utterance’ together with the compound divine name Adonai Yahweh {אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה | ʾăḏōnāy Yə-hō-wāh} ‘Lord God’, which establishes divine authority. A double conditional im-banim ve-im-banot {אִם־בָּנִ֥ים וְאִם־בָּנ֖וֹת | ʾim bānîm wə-ʾim bānōṯ} ‘if sons and if daughters’ sets the objects of deliverance. The Hiphil imperfect yatsilu {יַצִּילוּ | yaṣṣîlû} ‘they deliver’ contrasts with the Niphal imperfect yinnatselu {יִנָּצֵ֔לוּ | yinnāṣēlû} ‘they will be delivered’, highlighting active rescue versus self-rescue. The restriction levaddam {לְבַדָּם | lə-ḇaddām} ‘by themselves’ limits deliverance. The verse closes with ve-ha-aretz tihyeh shemamah {וְהָאָ֖רֶץ תִּהְיֶ֥ה שְׁמָמָֽה | wə-hā-ʾāreṣ tihyeh šəmāmāh} ‘and the land will be desolate’, using a Qal imperfect to denote a future state. |