| 38. Linguistic Exegesis The verse employs parallel negatives with lo {לֹא | lōʾ} ‘not’ preceding the imperfect verbs tishkechu {תִשְׁכָּחוּ | tiškāḥû} ‘you will forget’ and tirʾu {תִֽירְא֖וּ | tīrʾû} ‘you will fear,’ marking ongoing prohibitions. The conjunction vav {וְ | wə} links the two clauses to underscore the unity of remembrance and exclusive worship. The term brit {בְּרִית | bərît} ‘covenant’ in construct with asher-karati {אֲשֶׁר־כָּרַתִּי | ʾăšer-kăraṯtî} ‘which I made’ highlights divine initiative. The compound elohim acherim {אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים | ʾĕlōhîm ʾăḥērîm} ‘other gods’ pairs noun and adjective to define prohibited deities, and the English preserves this structure and the emphatic vav. |