| 4. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the jussive imperfect yaguru {יָג֤וּרוּ | yāḡûrû} ‘let them sojourn’, expressing a petition on behalf of the niddachay {נִדָּחַ֔י | niddāḥay} ‘outcasts’. The imperative hewi-sēter {הֱוִי־סֵ֥תֶר | hēwî-sēter} ‘be a shelter’ assigns Moab a protective role. The phrase mipnê šōḏēd {מִפְּנֵ֣י שׁוֹדֵ֑ד | mipnê šōḏēd} ‘from before the destroyer’ identifies the threat. The conjunction kî-’apēs {כִּֽי־אָפֵ֤ס | kî-’apēs} ‘for has ceased’ introduces a perfect sequence: hammēṣ {הַמֵּץ֙ | hammēṣ} ‘the oppressor’ with kālāh {כָּלָה | kālāh} ‘is ended’, šōḏ {שֹׁ֔ד | šōḏ} ‘violence’ with tammū {תַּ֥מּוּ | tam-mû} ‘they have ceased’, and the participle rômēs {רֹמֵ֖ס | rômēs} ‘trampler’, completing the picture of vanquished oppression. The movement from jussives to perfects underscores both the demand for refuge and the assurance of deliverance. |