| 5. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the negated Niphal imperfect velo-yikkare {וְלֹא־יִקָּרֵ֥א | wə-lō yiqqārēʾ} ‘and it will not be called,’ which prohibits the continued use of Abram. The adverb od {ע֛וֹד | ʿôḏ} ‘no longer’ reinforces the decisive end of the former designation. By using the object marker in et-shimkha {אֶת־שִׁמְךָ֖ | ʾeṯ-šim-ḵā} ‘your name,’ the text centers on identity rather than action. The clause ve-hayah {וְהָיָ֤ה | wə-hāyāh} ‘and it shall be’ introduces the new status with a balanced repetition of shimkha {שִׁמְךָ֙ | šim-ḵā} ‘your name.’ The construct chain av-hamon goyim {אַב־הֲמ֥וֹן גּוֹיִ֖ם | ʾaḇ-hā-môn gô-yim} ‘father of a multitude of nations’ integrates role and scope, and the perfect netattikha {נְתַתִּֽיךָ | nətattîḵā} ‘I have made you’ serves as an authoritative divine declaration. The wordplay between Avraham and av-hamon supports preserving the renaming structure and the adjacency of the causal clause for rhetorical effect. |