| 11. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the purpose clause lemaʿan {לְמַעַן | lə-maʿan} ‘so that’, indicating divine intention toward restoration. The negative particle lo {לֹא | lōʾ} and repeated ʿod {עוֹד | ʿōḏ} ‘again’ form a strong prohibition against future apostasy. The Qal imperfect yitʿu {יִתְעוּ | yit-ʿū} ‘they go astray’ contrasts with the Piel imperfect yitammeʾu {יִטַּמְּאוּ | yit-tam-mə-ʾū} ‘they defile themselves’, highlighting both spiritual wandering and moral pollution. The construct phrase beit-yisraʾel {בֵּית־יִשְׂרָאֵל | bêt-yiś-rā-ʾēl} functions as the subject, which transitions via the covenantal formula ve-hāyū lī le-ʿām {וְהָיוּ לִי לְעָם | wə-hā-yū lī lə-ʿām} ‘and they shall be to me a people’ into the reciprocal promise ʾanī ʾehyeh lāhem le-Elohim {אֲנִי אֶהְיֶה לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים | ʾă-nī ʾe-hyeh lā-hem lē-ʾĕ-lō-hīm} ‘and I will be their God’. The divine oracle introduction nəʾum Adonai Yahweh {נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה | nə-ʾum ʾă-dō-nāy yəh-wāh} marks an authoritative declaration. The English rendering preserves Hebrew word order and covenant structure while clarifying relational dynamics. |