See Kalimi, Metathesis in the Hebrew Bible. Cf. idem, “Literary-Stylistic Metathesis in the Hebrew Bible.”

For metathesis portraying reversal, see Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry, 246.

Kalimi, Metathesis in the Hebrew Bible, 72, 132, and 160. Regarding Isa 61:3, Kalimi writes, “Here, the reversal of letters serves to highlight the reversal of sense in the juxtaposed words” (160). For a similar analysis, see Goldingay, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary, 304, and Blenkinsopp, Isaiah 56–66, 226.

Normally, šewa (realised as a rushed “a” sound similar to pataḥ and especially ḥaṭef pataḥ) and segol (an “e” sound) represent different sounds. When šewa appears before a guttural, however, it represents a short vowel of the same quality as the vowel under the guttural. See Joüon and Muraoka, A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew, §8a n. 4, and Khan, “Shewa: Pre-Modern Hebrew,” 3:544. Therefore, the šewa in פְּאֵר and segol in אֵפֶר would be pronounced more similarly than normal in these phrases, though still perhaps not identically.

The importance of the palindrome תַּחַת within this phrase has not been properly emphasised. For example, Goldingay (A Critical and Exegetical Commentary, 304) and Kalimi (Metathesis in the Hebrew Bible, 72, 132, and 160) do not even transliterate the preposition תַּחַת in their discussion of Isa 61:3.

The lexeme אֲפֵר “bandage” (1 Kgs 20:38 and 41) may also be part of the reversal between אֵפֶר and פְּאֵר in Isa 61:3. If so, then YHWH is removing both אֵפֶר “dust” and אֲפֵר “bandage” from the exiles’ heads in order to put a פְּאֵר “turban” upon it. Additionally, the context of Isa 61:3 describes Judah returning from the Euphrates River (פְּרָת) with lexemes having the consonants פ and ר (i.e., פְּאֵר and אֵפֶר). The reversal described may additionally include the noun פְּרָת which the Judahite exiles cross in order to flourish (פרה “to bear fruit”) in a new situation.

For the gloss “heel depression” for הֶעָקֹב, see Berlin, “Isaiah 40:4.” It is also possible that the term means “ridge” and thus denotes a high point instead of a low one. See Goldingay and Payne, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary, 77. For anagramic paronomasia, see Noegel, “Paronomasia,” 3:26.

See Kalimi, Metathesis in the Hebrew Bible, 56–57. Also see, Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry, 240. Watson says, “Here the letters of עקב (found only here, so perhaps invented by the poet for his purpose) are transposed to form בקעה, of opposite meaning (and gender).” A play on the name יַעֲקֹב is operable as well in Isa 40:4. See Baltzer, Deutero-Isaiah, 55. Berlin suggests that the phrase הֶעָקֹב לְמִישׁוֹר in Isa 40:4 may be an echo of both the names יַעֲקֹב and יִשְׂרָאֵל. See Berlin, “Isaiah 40:4,” 4.

See Goldingay and Payne, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary, 77. For the similarity of sound between ס and שׁ in the Tiberian tradition, see Khan, “Tiberian Pronunciation Tradition,” 12. Both consonants are sibilants and their place of articulation (as with ז) is identical.

See Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry, 246. Watson says, “Chiasmus also denotes inversion of an existing state.”

The verb כבה appears only twenty-four times in the Hebrew Bible. Outside of 2 Kgs 22:17 (par. 2 Chr 34:25), the verb כבה describes YHWH’s anger also in Jer 7:20.

The metathesis present between these two verbs is reinforced in the surrounding verses. The consonants ב and כ are juxtaposed in the forms רַךְ־לְבָבְךָ “your heart was soft” in 2 Kgs 22:19 (cf. the chiastic structure כ–ב–ב–כ in this phrase) and בְּכֹל “with all” in 2 Kgs 22:17 and 20. In the form בְּגָדֶיךָ “your garments” in 2 Kgs 22:19 the consonants ב and כ are not juxtaposed but appear together nonetheless. The consonants כ,ב, and ת appear together in the forms אֲבֹתֶיךָ “your fathers,” where they are juxtaposed, and קִבְרֹתֶיךָ “your graves” in 2 Kgs 22:20. Also, the verbal form וַתִּכָּנַע “you were humble” in 2 Kgs 22:19 recalls תִכְבֶּה in 2 Kgs 22:17 as both have a ת prefix and the first radical of the root is כ (cf. וַתִּקְרַע in 2 Kgs 22:19). These consonantal connections strengthen the possibility that the author of 2 Kgs 22 intentionally describes Josiah’s actions, especially וַתִּבְכֶּה, but also רַךְ־לְבָבְךָ, וַתִּכָּנַע, and וַתִּקְרַע, in a way that recalls and reverses YHWH’s attitude toward Judah (i.e., תִכְבֶּה).

The Leitmotiv שׁמע “to hear” appears three times in 2 Kgs 22:18 and 19 (twice). It refers to Josiah’s hearing and humbling himself in vv. 18 and 19. At the end of v. 19, however, it describes YHWH hearing Josiah’s weeping. This repetition shows how YHWH responds to Josiah’s actions. Josiah’s actions momentarily reverse YHWH’s plans for Judah.

This is a case of “assonantal paronomasia.” See Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry, 243.

See Joüon and Muraoka, A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew, §79m. They state that the long form of the yiqtol is frequent in Kings.

Regarding 1 Sam 1:7, see Robar, “Wayyiqṭol,” 37–39. Robar suggests that the long form of the wayyiqtol of בכה signals that this verb is a Leitmotiv or discourse theme which connects 1 Sam 1 with the weeping for the almost lost tribe of Benjamin in Judg 19–21 (38). In general, Robar argues that the authors of the Hebrew Bible intentionally use the long form of wayyiqtol for the purpose of lexical disambiguation, to mark a narrative boundary, or to mark a Leitmotiv or discourse theme. For a similar discussion, see Robar, Verb and The Paragraph, 178–181. Assuming that the readers of the Hebrew text are already familiar with the story, Robar suggests that long verbal forms aid the informed and attentive reader to focus upon certain elements in the text.

The form תִכְבֶּה appears in 2 Kgs 22:17 (par. 2 Chr 34:25). The author of 2 Chr 34 uses the apocopated wayyiqtol of בכה which slightly weakens the connection present in 2 Kgs 22 between the two verbal forms though it does not abrogate it.