| 11. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with way-yō-mer {וַיֹּ֥אמֶר | way-yō-mer} ‘and he said,’ a wayyiqtol narrative form that introduces divine speech. The subject Yahweh {יְהוָ֖ה | Yə-hō-wāh} ‘LORD’ is followed by ʾē-lāy {אֵלָ֑י | ʾē-lāy} ‘to me,’ marking Jeremiah as the addressee. The prohibitive particle ʾal {אַל־ | ʾal} ‘do not’ combined with the Hitpael imperfect titpallel {תִּתְפַּלֵּ֛ל | titpallēl} ‘pray’ creates a direct prohibition. The phrase bə-ʿad hā-ʿām haz-zeh {בְּעַד־הָעָ֥ם הַזֶּ֖ה | bə-ʿad hā-ʿām haz-zeh} ‘for this people’ and the infinitival lə-ṭō-ḇāh {לְטוֹבָה | lə-ṭō-ḇāh} ‘for good’ specify the target and intended benefit of the forbidden intercession. The clause structure underscores the reversal of expected intercession in the context of impending judgment. |