| 6. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with a direct address using at {אַתְּ | ʾat} ‘you’ (feminine singular, Jerusalem personified), followed by natasht {נָטַשְׁתְּ | nā-ṭašt} ‘you have forsaken,’ expressing completed abandonment. The construct noun neum-Yahweh {נְאֻם־יְהוָה | nəʼûm-yəhōwāh} ‘declares the LORD’ marks the prophetic utterance. The adverb akhor {אָחוֹר | ʼāḥôr} ‘backward’ and telekhi {תֵּלֵכִי | tēlēḵî} ‘you go’ depict ongoing apostasy. The sequential conjunction in vaʼat {וָאַט | wāʼaṭ} ‘and I will stretch out’ connects with et-yadi {אֶת־יָדִי | ʼet-yādî} alayikh {עָלַיִךְ | ʿălayəḵ} ‘my hand over you,’ followed by vaʼashkhiteḳ {וָאַשְׁחִיתֵךְ | wāʼaš·ḥî·ṯēḵ} ‘and I will destroy you,’ stressing divine action. The Nifal forms nileiti {נִלְאֵיתִי | nîlʼêîtî} ‘I am weary’ and hinakhem {הִנָּחֵֽם | hinnāḥêm} ‘relenting’ convey God’s exhaustion in withholding judgment. English SVO order and punctuation highlight the divine speech and resulting judgment. |