| 5. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with a conditional frame introduced by ve-im {וְאִם֙ | wə-ʾim} ‘and if’, immediately negated by lo {לֹ֣א | lōʾ} ‘not’, creating a protasis that anticipates a serious consequence. The verb tishme'u {תִשְׁמְע֔וּ | tiš-mə-ʿû} ‘you listen’ is followed by the object phrase et-hadevarim ha-eleh {אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֖ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה | ʾeṯ-had-də-ḇā-rîm hā-ʾēl-leh} ‘these words’, where the demonstrative sharpens the immediacy of the prophetic instruction just delivered. The oath formula bi nishba'ti {בִּ֤י נִשְׁבַּ֙עְתִּי֙ | bî niš-baʿ-tî} ‘by Me I have sworn’ places the prepositional phrase first, emphasizing that the oath is grounded in Yahweh’s own being rather than any external guarantor. The messenger seal neum-Yahweh {נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה | nə-ʾum-Yə-hō-wāh} ‘declaration of the LORD’ marks the statement as an authoritative oracle. The conjunction ki {כִּי | kî} in ki-lekhorbah {כִּי־לְחָרְבָּ֥ה | kî-lə-ḥor-bāh} is best taken as introducing the content of the oath (“that”), while the fronted complement lə-ḥorbah {לְחָרְבָּה | lə-ḥor-bāh} ‘for ruin’ is positioned before the verb to spotlight the outcome. The imperfect yihyeh {יִֽהְיֶ֖ה | yih-yeh} ‘it will be’ presents the result as future yet certain, and ha-bayit ha-zeh {הַבַּ֥יִת הַזֶּֽה | hab-ba-yit haz-zeh} ‘this house’ points to a specific, present referent with rhetorical force. English renderings preserve the conditional logic, the self-attested oath, and the result clause so that the Hebrew progression from refusal to certain devastation remains clear. |