| 43. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with ki {כִּי | kî} “for/because,” establishing a causal link between the enemy’s presence and Israel’s fate. The definite nouns ha‘amaleqi {הָעֲמָלֵקִי | ha-‘a-ma-lē-qī} and veha-kena‘ani {וְהַכְּנַעֲנִי | wə-hakkə-na-‘a-nī} specify the adversaries, while sham {שָׁם | šām} plus lifneikhem {לִפְנֵיכֶם | lĭ-p̄nê-ḵem} convey immediate proximity. The vav-consecutive in unefaltem {וּנְפַלְתֶּם | ū-nə-p̄al-tem} moves the perfect into narrative sequence, marking the outcome. Becharev {בֶּחָרֶב | be-ḥā-rev} indicates means. The conjunctive ki-al-ken {כִּֽי־עַל־כֵּ֤ן | kî-‘al-kên} reinforces divine rationale, linking to shavtem {שַׁבְתֶּם | šav-tem} “turned away” from meacharei Yahweh {מֵאַחֲרֵי יְהוָה | me-‘a-ḥă-rê yə-hō-wāh}, signaling covenant infidelity. The final clause velo-yihyeh Yahweh immakhem {וְלֹא־יִהְיֶה יְהוָה עִמָּכֶם | wə-lo yi-hi-yeh yə-hō-wāh ‘im-mā-khem} uses the negative vav-lo plus imperfect to convey God’s deliberate absence. English mirrors these structures with “for/because,” maintains spatial immediacy, and reflects the sequence of action and judgment. |