| 29. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the conditional particle im {אִם | ʾîm} ‘if’, introducing a protasis that sets a testing scenario. The comparative phrase kemot kol-ha-adam features the preposition + noun combination kemot and the construct chain kol-ha-adam, where mot {מוֹת | mōṯ} ‘death’ denotes collective mortality. In the protasis main clause, the Qal imperfect yemutun ‘they die’ precedes the demonstrative eleh ‘these’, creating focus on the specific challengers. The vav conjunction in uf’kudat kol-ha-adam then links the parallel clause in which f’kudat {פְקֻדַּת | pə-qū-ḏāṯ} ‘visitation’ functions as the subject of the Niphal imperfect yipaked {יִפָּקֵד | yi-pā-qēḏ} ‘is visited’, highlighting passive divine action executed upon the recipients identified by aleihem ‘upon them’. The apodosis is marked by the negator lo ‘not’ before the verb phrase Yahweh shlachani, which negates divine commissioning of Moses. The chiastic parallelism between human demise and divine reckoning underscores prophetic legitimacy, and the Niphal’s passive voice emphasizes God’s sovereign agency. |