| 27. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the definite participle hachoshvim {הַחֹשְׁבִ֗ים | ha-ḥōšə-ḇîm} ‘the ones who think’, marking the subject as active conspirators. The Hiphil infinitive construct lehashkiakh {לְהַשְׁכִּ֤יחַ | lə-haš-kî-aḥ} conveys causation ‘to cause to forget’, anchored by the direct object marker et {אֶת־ | ʾeṯ}. The phrase bachalomotam {בַּחֲל֣וֹמֹתָ֔ם | bə-ḥă-lō-mō-ṯām} ‘in their dreams’ identifies the medium, with the relative clause asher yesapperu {אֲשֶׁ֥ר יְסַפְּר֖וּ | ʾă-šer yə-sap-pə-rû} ‘that they tell’ specifying the deceptive speech between peers. The adverbial ka’asher shakhechu avotam {כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר שָׁכְח֧וּ אֲבוֹתָ֛ם | ka-ʾă-šer šā-ḵə-ḥû ʾă-ḇō-ṯām} ‘just as their fathers forgot’ creates a parallel with ancestral apostasy. The Hebrew verb-driven focus and parallel structure are preserved in English by maintaining the causative action and the historical comparison. |