| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative begins with the vav consecutive verbs wayya‘an {וַיַּ֖עַן | wayyā‘an} ‘and he answered’ followed by wayyōmar {וַיֹּאמַ֑ר | wayyōmar} ‘and he said’, a Hebrew doublet emphasizing the immediacy of the prophet’s response. The particle hā-lō’ {הֲלֹ֗א | hā-lōʼ} ‘Is it not?’ introduces a rhetorical question asserting necessity. The relative clause ’ăšer yāśîm Yahweh bĕ-pî {אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָשִׂ֤ם יְהוָה֙ בְּפִ֔י} ‘that the LORD puts in my mouth’ foregrounds divine agency in prophetic speech. The construction ’ōtô ’eš-môr lə-dabbēr {אֹת֥וֹ אֶשְׁמֹ֖ר לְדַבֵּֽר} ‘it I will keep to speak’ places the object ‘it’ before the verbs for emphasis, highlighting the prophet’s obligation to preserve and proclaim the exact message. |