| 46. Linguistic Exegesis The verse employs a metaphorical familial allegory arranged in parallel structure. It begins with va'akhotekh {וַאֲחוֹתֵךְ | vaʾă-ḥō-têḵ} ‘and your sister’ to introduce the two provincial counterparts. The adjectives hagg’dolah {הַגְּדוֹלָה | ha-ḡə-ḏō-lā} ‘the greater’ and haqtannah {הַקְּטַנָּה | ha-qə-ṭan-nā} ‘the smaller’ signal the hierarchical ranking. Shomron {שֹׁמְרוֹן | šō-mə-rōn} and Sedom {סְדֹם | sə-dōm} serve as parallel subjects, each followed by uvnoteyha {וּבְנוֹתֶיהָ | u-və-nō-ṯā-hā} ‘and her daughters.’ The participle hayoshevet {הַיּוֹשֶׁבֶת | ha-yō-še-vêt} ‘dwelling’ qualifies their habitation. The prepositional phrases al-smolekh {עַל־שְׂמֹאולֵךְ | al-smo-ʾe-lekh} ‘on your left’ (north) and miyeminekh {מִימִינֵךְ | mî-yim-î-nê-ḵ} ‘at your right’ (south) follow Hebrew spatial idiom. The chiastic arrangement underscores impending judgment by contrasting Samaria and Sodom as estranged sisters. |