| 3. Linguistic Exegesis The opening vocative ben-adam {בֶּן־אָדָם | ben-ʾā-dām} ‘son of man’ emphasizes the prophet’s identity. This is followed by the Piel imperative dabber {דַּבֵּר | dabber} ‘speak’, mandating a message. The direct object marker et {אֶת־ | ʾet} attaches to ziknei {זִקְנֵי | ziq-nê} ‘elders’ and the proper noun yiśrāʾēl {יִשְׂרָאֵל | yiśrāʾēl}, marking Israel’s leaders as the audience. The vav-consecutive veamarta {וְאָמַרְתָּ | wəʾāmarṯā} ‘and you shall say’ plus the prepositional phrase ʾălēhēm {אֲלֵהֶם | ʾălēhēm} ‘to them’ establishes the prophetic formula. The heraldic particle koh {כֹּה | kō} ‘thus’ and Qal perfect amar {אָמַר | ʾāmar} ‘says’ introduce the divine word, with the compound title Adonai Yahweh {אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה | ʾă-ḏōnāy Yəhōwāh} ‘the Lord GOD’ underscoring authority. The interrogative infinitive halidrosh {הֲלִדְרֹשׁ | halîḏrōš} ‘to inquire’, object ʾōṯî {אֹתִי | ʾōṯî} ‘me’, and participle bāʾîm {בָּאִים | bāʾîm} ‘coming’ frame the question of purpose. The oath formula ḥay-ʾānî {חַי־אָ֑נִי | ḥay-ʾānî} ‘as I live’ asserts divine certainty. The conditional ʾim-dārōš {אִם־דָּרֹשׁ | ʾim-dārōš} ‘if you inquire’ plus the emphatic infinitive absolute + imperfect ʾēdārēš {אֵדָרֵשׁ | ʾēdārēš} ‘I will inquire’ conveys emphatic refusal rather than affirmation. Finally, the declaration neum {נְאֻם | nəʾūm} ‘declares’ seals the prophecy. The Hebrew word order, repetition, and formulaic markers build tension and highlight the clash between human inquiry and divine sovereignty. |