| 8. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the conjunction ki {כִּי־ | kî} ‘for, because’, marking a causal clause. The construct phrase midei adaber {מִדֵּי אֲדַבֵּר | mi-dê ʾă-da-bēr} ‘whenever I speak’ introduces the prophet’s repeated speech acts. The verbs ezʿaq {אֶזְעָק | ʾez-ʿāq} ‘I cry out’ and ekra {אֶקְרָא | ʾe-qrāʾ} ‘I proclaim’ form a verb chain that intensifies Jeremiah’s denunciation. The double direct objects ḥamas va-shod {חָמָס וָשֹׁד | ḥā-mās wā-šōḏ} ‘violence and destruction’ mirror the content of his protest. The second ki {כִּי־ | kî} signals a result: hayah dvar-Yahweh lī le-kherpah û-le-keles {הָיָה דְבַר־יְהוָה לִי לְחֶרְפָּה וּלְקֶלֶס | hā-yāh də-var Yahweh lī lə-ḥerpāh û-lə-qeles}, where the divine message becomes Jeremiah’s reproach and derision. The temporal phrase kol-ha-yom {כָּל־הַיּֽוֹם | kol-hā-yōm} ‘all the day’ emphasizes the ongoing nature of his suffering. This structure preserves the Hebrew emphasis on repeated prophetic proclamation followed by personal consequence. |