| 48. Linguistic Exegesis The oath formula hay {חַי־ | ḥay} ‘life’ with ani {אָ֗נִי | ʾā-nî} frames a divine oath opening. Neum {נְאֻם֙ | nə-ʾum} attaches to adonai {אֲדֹנָ֣י | ʾă-dō-nāy} and Yahweh {יְהוִ֔ה | Yə-hō-wāh}, introducing a prophetic declaration. The conditional im {אִם־ | ʾim} begins a negative comparison clause, linking aseta {עָֽשְׂתָה֙ | ʿā-śə-ṯā} and asit {עָשִׂ֔ית | ʿā-śîṯ} with ka-asher {כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר | ka-ʾă-šer}. The pronominal suffixes on achotekh {אֲחוֹתֵ֔ךְ | ʾă-ḥō-têḵ}, uvenoteha {וּבְנוֹתֶ֑יהָ | û-ḇə-nō-te-hā}, and uvenotayikh {וּבְנוֹתָֽיִךְ | û-ḇə-nō-tā-yîḵ} signal possession and relationship. Hebrew order places Sodom and her daughters before the comparative clause for emphasis; English shifts to a clearer subject–verb–object structure to convey the contrast. |