| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with ken {כֵּן | kēn} ‘thus/so’, introducing a result clause. The verb ʾeʿeseh {אֶעֱשֶׂה | ʾeʿĕśeh} ‘I will do’ is a Qal imperfect first person singular marking a future divine action. The phrase la-māqôm hazzeh {לַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה | la-māqôm haz-zēh} specifies the spatial focus ‘to this place’. The prophetic formula neʾum-Yahweh {נְאֻם־יְהוָה | nəʾum-Yə-hō-wāh} ‘oracle of the LORD’ asserts the divine source. The construction u-lə-yōšəḇāw {וּלְיוֹשְׁבָיו | û-lə-yōšəḇāw} extends the pronouncement to the inhabitants. The infinitive construct wə-lāṯêṯ {וְלָתֵת | wə-lāṯêṯ} introduces the resultant action of making the city (hāʿîr hazzōʾṯ {הָעִיר הַזֹּאת | hā-ʿîr haz-zōʾṯ}) like Topheth. The simile ketophet {כְּתֹפֶת | kəṯōp̄eṯ} draws a vivid comparison to a site of sacrificial burning. The structure emphasizes causal progression from divine pronouncement to its fulfillment. |