| 5. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the imperative plural p'nu {פְּנוּ | pĕ-nû} ‘turn’, commanding the hearers’ gaze to the speaker, followed by the prepositional phrase elay {אֵלַי | ʾê-lāy} ‘to me’ indicating direct address. The form ve-hashammu {וְהָשַׁמּוּ | vĕ-hā-šăm-mû} ‘and be appalled’ is a Qal perfect with vav-consecutive nuance denoting a resultant state. The second imperative ve-simu {וְשִׂימוּ | vĕ-śî-mû} ‘and put’ issues a clear behavioral command, with its object yad {יָד | yāḏ} ‘hand’, combined in the idiomatic construct al-peh {עַל־פֶּה | ʿal-pēh} ‘over the mouth’, which conveys enforced silence or awe. The English rendering preserves the parallel imperative structure and vivid idiom to mirror the Hebrew’s forceful address. |