| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the interrogative particle ayyam {אַיָּם | ʾay-yām} ‘where are they?’ issuing an immediate challenge. The connector efo {אֵפוֹ | ʾē-pō} ‘then’ intensifies the urgency. The construct phrase chakhamekha {חֲכָמֶיךָ | ḥă-khā-mê-khā} ‘your wise men’ carries a second person suffix, directly addressing Egypt’s advisers. The coordinated imperatives veyaggidu {וְיַגִּידוּ | wə-ya-ggî-dū} ‘and let them tell’ and veyedʿu {וְיֵדְעוּ | wə-yē-də-ʿū} ‘and let them know’ emphasize full disclosure. The compound mah-yaatz {מַה־יָּעַץ | maḥ-ya-ʿaṭṣ} ‘what has purposed’ frames the inquiry’s content. The sovereign title Yahweh tzvaot {יְהוָה צְבָא֖וֹת | Yə-hō-wāh ṣə-vā-ʾōt} ‘LORD of hosts’ underscores divine authority, and the prepositional phrase al-mitsrayim {עַל־מִצְרָיִם | ʿal-miṣ-rā-yim} ‘against Egypt’ identifies the target of this purpose, contrasting human counsel with divine will. |