| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The verb nivla'em {נִ֭בְלָעֵם | niv-la-ʿem} ‘let us swallow them’ is a Niphal imperfect cohortative that conveys conspiratorial intent and imminent violence. The paired prepositional similes ki-she'ol {כִּשְׁא֣וֹל | ki-she-'ōl} ‘like the grave’ and ke-yordei bor {כְּיוֹרְדֵי בֽוֹר | ke-yôr-dey bōr} ‘like those who go down to the pit’ form a poetic parallelism that emphasizes completeness and inevitability. The conjunction u {וּ | ū} linking temimim {תְּמִימִים | te-mî-mîm} ‘complete’ intensifies the totality of the act. The Hebrew word order, with the cohortative verb preceding the similes, creates an urgent, aggressive tone preserved through coordinate clauses and vivid imagery. |