| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the noun shochad {שֹׁ֥חַד | šō-ḥad} ‘bribe’ followed by the perfect laqchu-bakh {לָֽקְחוּ־בָ֖ךְ | lā-qə-ḥū-bāḵ} ‘they have taken in you’, highlighting communal corruption. The purpose clause is introduced by lemaʻan {לְמַ֣עַן | lə-maʿan} ‘in order that’ governing the infinitive shefakh {שְׁפָךְ | šə-p̄aḵ} ‘to shed’ with dam {דָּם | dām} ‘blood’. The nominal phrase neshekh ve-tarbit {נֶ֧שֶׁךְ וְתַרְבִּ֣ית | ne-šeḵ wə-tar-bît} ‘interest and increase’ functions as the object of laqachat {לָקַ֗חַתְּ | lā-qa-ḥat} ‘you have taken’, followed by vatevatzi {וַתְּבַצְּעִי | wa-tə-ḇat-tsiʿ} ‘and you have gained’ with the instrumental ba-osheq {בַּעֹשֶׁק | ba-ʿō-šeq} ‘through oppression’. The fronted direct object veoti {וְאֹתִ֣י | wə-ʼō-ti} ‘and me’ underscores personal violation before shakachat {שָׁכַ֔חַתְּ | šā-ḵa-ḥat} ‘you have forgotten’. The declaration neum Adonai Yahweh {נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִֽה | nə-ʼum ʼă-dō-nāy Yə-hō-wāh} frames the divine pronouncement, stressing covenant authority. |