| 9. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with koh amar {כֹּה אָמַר | kō ʾā-mar} ‘thus he said,’ a prophetic introduction affirming divine authority. The divine name Yahweh {יְהוָה | Yə-hō-wāh} identifies the speaker. The parallel demonstrative kakhah {כָּכָה | kā-kāh} ‘in this way’ reinforces the announced action. The Hiphil imperfect ashchit {אַשְׁחִית | ʾaš-ḥîṯ} conveys causative destruction. The direct-object-marker et {אֶת־ | ʾet} and conjunction ve-et {וְאֶת־ | wə-ʾet} introduce a parallel structure with ge'on {גְּאוֹן | gə-ʾōn} ‘pride’ applied first to Yehudah {יְהוּדָה | yə-hū-ḏāh} and then to Yerushalayim {יְרוּשָׁלַיִם | yə-rū-šā-láyim}. The adjective harav {הָרָב | hā-rāḇ} ‘the great’ intensifies the second element. In English the SVO order and parallel phrasing maintain the source emphasis and balanced structure. |