| 16. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the imperative tenu {תְּנוּ | tə-nū} “give,” commanding that kavod {כָּבוֹד | ka-vōd} “glory” be offered to la-Yahweh e-lo-HEI-khem {לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם | la-Yahweh ʾĕ-lō-hē-khem}, a compound divine title. The two temporal clauses—bə-TE-rem yakh-SHIKH {בְּטֶרֶם יַחְשִׁיךְ | bə-te-rem yaḥ-šîḵ} “before He brings darkness” and ū-bə-TE-rem yit-nag-GE-fu rag-lê-khem ʿal ha-rê nā-šef {וּבְטֶרֶם יִתְנַגְּפוּ רַגְלֵיכֶם עַל־הָרֵי נָשֶׁף | ū-bə-te-rem yit-nag-gə-fū rag-lê-khem ʿal ha-rê nā-šef} “and before your feet stumble on the mountains of twilight”—establish urgency as divine action and human peril converge. The juxtaposition of hoping for light (və-qiv-vî-tem lə-ʾōr {וְקִוִּיתֶם לְאוֹר | və-qiv-vî-tem lə-ʾōr}) with vesamah letsalmavet {וְשָׂמָהּ לְצַלְמָוֶת | və-sa-māh lə-tsal-mā-vet} “He has made it into the shadow of death” highlights a dramatic reversal through a series of perfect and imperfect forms. The final commands yə-šît və-šît la-ʿă-ra-pel {יְשִׁית וְשִׁית לַעֲרָפֶל | yə-šît və-šît la-ʿă-ra-pel} “He sets and set to thick darkness” reinforce inescapable divine judgment. |