| 18. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the interrogative halo {הֲלוֹא | hə·lōʾ} ‘is it not’ and the demonstrative adverb koh {כֹּה | kō(h)} ‘thus’, framing a rhetorical question. The perfect verb asu {עָשׂוּ | ‘ā·sū} ‘they did’ takes avoteikhem {אֲבֹתֵיכֶם | ’ă·vō·ṯê·ḵem} ‘your fathers’ as its subject. A Vav-consecutive clause with vayyave {וַיָּבֵא | way·yā·ḇē} ‘and he brought’ introduces Eloheinu {אֱלֹהֵינוּ | ’ĕ·lō·hê·nû} ‘our God’ as the agent, followed by aleinu {עָלֵינוּ | ‘ā·lê·nû} ‘upon us’ and ve’al ha‘ir hazot {וְעַל הָעִיר הַזֹּאת | wə·‘al hā·‘îr ha·zō·ṯ} ‘and upon this city’. The clause ve’atem mosifim {וְאַתֶּם מוֹסִיפִים | wə·’at·tem mō·sî·p̄îm} ‘and you are adding’ shifts to the present audience, modifying kharon {חָרוֹן | ḥā·rōn} ‘wrath’ with al-Yisra’el {עַל-יִשְׂרָאֵל | ‘al·yiś·rā·’ēl}. The infinitive lehallel {לְחַלֵּל | lə·ḥal·lêl} ‘to profane’ ties directly to et-haShabbat {אֶת-הַשַּׁבָּת | ’et·ha·šab·bāt} ‘the Sabbath’, marked by the direct-object marker et. English syntax reorders elements for clarity while preserving the accusatory progression from historical example to present culpability. |