| 6. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the verb shamanu {שָׁמַ֥עְנוּ | šā-ma-‘nû} ‘we have heard,’ introducing a communal report. The construct phrase geon-moav {גְאוֹן־מוֹאָ֖ב | ge-’ōn mō-’āḇ} ‘pride of Moab’ uses a maqqef to link the construct to its possessor. The intensifiers ge {גֵּ֣א | ge} ‘very proud’ and meod {מְאֹ֑ד | mē-’ōd} ‘exceedingly’ function as stacked modifiers. A tricolon—gaavato {גַּאֲוָת֧וֹ | ga-’ă-vā-ṯô} ‘his arrogance’, ugeono {וּגְאוֹנ֛וֹ | ū-ge-’ō-nô} ‘his pride’, and veevrato {וְעֶבְרָת֖וֹ | wə-’e-vrā-ṯô} ‘his anger’—builds cumulative force. The adverb loken {לֹא־כֵ֥ן | lō-kên} ‘not thus’ introduces a sharp contrast with badav {בַּדָּֽיו | ba-dā-v} ‘his boasts’, whose verbless clause heightens the rebuke. The selah {ס | sā-lāʰ} ‘selah’ signals a pause that punctuates the oracle’s intensity. In English, possessive constructions and parallel syntax mirror the Hebrew poetic structure. |