| 3. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the adversative ulam {אוּלָם | ʾûlām} ‘but/however’, marking Job’s shift from human interlocutors to divine address. The subject ani {אֲנִי | ʾăni} is emphatically fronted, highlighting personal initiative. In the first clause adabber {אֲדַבֵּר | ʾădabber} ‘I will speak’ governs the prepositional phrase el-shaddai {אֶל־שַׁדַּי | ʾel-šadday}, indicating direct address to the Almighty and framing the act as bold engagement. The second clause uses the volitional verb ekhpatz {אֶחְפָּץ | ʾeḥpāṣ} ‘I desire’ with the Hiphil infinitive ve-hocheach {וְהוֹכֵחַ | wə-hôkēaḥ} ‘to argue,’ forming a purposive expression. The parallel prepositional phrase el-el {אֶל־אֵל | ʾel-ʾēl} reiterates the legal-disputation setting. The coordinated structure preserves the Hebrew poetic parallelism and emphasizes the progression from speaking to formal reasoning. |