| 15. Linguistic Exegesis The Hiphil perfect with vav-consecutive form ve-hiqqah {וְהִכָּה | wəhiqqāh} ‘and He will strike’, the Qal perfect vənāṯaš {וְנָתַשׁ | wə-nā-ṯaš} ‘and He will uproot’, and the Qal perfect vəzērām {וְזֵרָם | wə-zē-rām} ‘and He will scatter them’ structure successive divine judgments. The comparative simile kaʼăšer yānûḏ haqqānēh bammayyim {כַּאֲשֶׁר יָנ֣וּד הַקָּנֶה בַּמַּיִם | kaʼăšer yānûḏ haqqānēh bammayyim} depicts Israel’s instability. The definite phrase hā-tōvāh haz-zōt {הַטּוֹבָה הַזֹּאת | hā-tōvāh haz-zōṯ} emphasizes the value of the specific inheritance. The exile idiom mē‘ēḇer lannāhār {מֵעֵבֶר לַנָּהָר | mē‘ēḇer la-nnāhār} indicates removal across a geographic boundary. The causal conjunction yaʿan ʾăšer {יַעַן אֲשֶׁר | yaʿan ʾăšer} introduces the motive for judgment, and the participle makkĭsîm {מַכְעִיסִים | makkĭsîm} highlights the provocation of divine anger. |