| 2. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with derash-na {דְּרָשׁ־נָא | də-rāš-nā} ‘inquire please,’ where the particle nā {נָא | nā} softens the imperative. The prepositional phrase baadenu {בַעֲדֵנוּ | ba-ʿă-dê-nû} ‘on our behalf’ and the marker et-yehovah {אֶת־יְהוָה | ʾet-Yə-hō-wāh} signal the divine addressee. The conjunction ki {כִּי | kî} introduces the causal clause explaining the threat posed by nevukhadretzar {נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר | nǝ-ḇû-ḵaḏ-rěʾ-ṣar} melekh-bavel {מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל | me-lekh-Bā-ḇel}, nilcham {נִלְחָם | nil-ḥām} ‘is waging war’ against us. The modal particle ulai {אוּלַי | ʾû-lai} conveys hopeful uncertainty, leading into yaaseh {יַעֲשֶׂה | yaʿ-ă-śěh} ‘he will do,’ where the subject is the divine name yehovah {יְהוָה | Yə-hō-wāh} and otanu {אוֹתָנוּ | ʾō-ṯā-nû} marks the beneficiaries. The measure phrase kekhol-nifleotav {כְּכָל־נִפְלְאֹתָיו | kə-khol-niphlʾō-tāv} ‘according to all His wonders’ specifies scope, and the result clause veyaleh mealeinu {וְיַעֲלֶה | wə-yaʿ-ă-lěh} frames the anticipated withdrawal ‘from upon us.’ |