| 6. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the interrogative comparative construction hakhayotser hazzeh {הֲכַיּוֹצֵ֨ר הַזֶּ֜ה | hă-kā-yō-tsêr ha-zzeh} ‘as this potter’, which merges the preformative he and comparative prefix ka with the participle yotser {יוֹצֵר | yō-tzêr}. The Qal imperfect ukhal {אוּכַל | ʾû-kal} ‘am I able’ plus the infinitive construct laʿasot {לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת | la-ʿă-sōt} ‘to do’ and object suffix lakhem ‘for you’ forms a rhetorical question. The declaration formula neum-yeho-vah {נְאֻם־יְהוָ֑ה | nə-ʾum yə-hō-wāh} ‘declares the LORD’ asserts divine authority. In the second clause, hinneh {הִנֵּ֤ה | hin-nēh} ‘look’ introduces the simile kakhomer {כַחֹ֙מֶר֙ | ka-ḥō-mer} ‘like clay’ in the hand of the potter hayotser {הַיּוֹצֵ֔ר | ha-yō-tzēr}, linked by the adverb ken {כֵּן־ | kēn} ‘so’ to the pronoun atem {אַתֶּ֥ם | ʾattēm} ‘you’. The spatial phrase beyadi {בְּיָדִ֖י | bə-yā-dī} ‘in my hand’ underscores God’s sovereignty through parallel structure and vivid metaphor. |