| 24. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the temporal connective ve'atta {וְעַתָּה | wə-ʿăṯ-ṭāh} “and now,” establishing a transition to direct address; this is followed by the vocative banim {בָנִים | bā-nîm} “children.” The two imperatives shimu {שִׁמְעוּ | šim-ʿû} “hear” and wehaqshivu {וְהַקְשִׁיבוּ | wə-haq-šî-bû} “give attention” form a synonymous parallelism that underscores the importance of obedient listening. The construct chain le'imrei fi {לְאִמְרֵי־פִי | lə-ʾim-rê fî} “to the words of my mouth” personalizes the summons, linking the directives directly to the speaker’s own utterance. In English, the dual imperatives are maintained to reflect this emphatic structure. |