| 25. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with a succession of vav-consecutive imperfect verbs—va’ariv {וָאָרִ֤יב | wā·’ā·riḇ} ‘and I contended’, va’akallelem {וָאֲקַֽלְלֵ֔ם | wā·’a·qal·lē·lêm} ‘and I cursed them’, va’akke {וָאַכֶּ֥ה | wā·’a·kê} ‘and I struck’—highlighting Nehemiah’s escalating response from verbal rebuke to physical punishment. ’immam {עִמָּם֙ | ’im·mām} ‘with them’ emphasizes his direct confrontation. The subsequent Piel in va’emartem {וָֽאֶמְרְטֵ֑ם | wā·’e·mar·têm} ‘and I pulled them out’ indicates public humiliation, followed by the Hiphil in va’ashbi’em {וָאַשְׁבִּיעֵ֣ם | wā·’aš·bî·’êm} ‘and I made them swear,’ forming a binding oath. The parallel conditional clauses introduced by ’im {אִם־ | ’im} govern the prohibitions: titnu…benoteichem…livneihem and tisa’u…mibnoteihem…livneichem, preserving the Hebrew if…then structure. The oath formula va’ashbi’em be’elohim {וָאַשְׁבִּיעֵ֣ם בֵּֽאלֹהִ֗ים | wā·’aš·bî·’êm bē·’ĕ·lō·hîm} invokes God as the divine witness, underscoring the covenantal seriousness of the ban on intermarriage. |