וּשְׁאָ֥ר

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וּשְׁאָ֥ר

   u-she-AR

   and a remnant of
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 וּשְׁאָ֥ר מְעַ֛ט

   u-she-AR me-AT

   and a remnant of few
3. clause🔊 וּשְׁאָ֥ר מְעַ֛ט מִזְעָ֖ר ל֥וֹא כַבִּֽיר׃

   u-she-AR me-AT miz-AR LO ka-BIR

   and a remnant of few very small or very little not mighty or strong
4. sentence🔊 וְעַתָּ֗ה דִּבֶּ֣ר יְהוָה֮ לֵאמֹר֒ בְּשָׁלֹ֤שׁ שָׁנִים֙ כִּשְׁנֵ֣י שָׂכִ֔יר וְנִקְלָה֙ כְּב֣וֹד מוֹאָ֔ב בְּכֹ֖ל הֶהָמ֣וֹן הָרָ֑ב וּשְׁאָ֥ר מְעַ֛ט מִזְעָ֖ר ל֥וֹא כַבִּֽיר׃

   ve-a-TA di-BER Ye-ho-VAH le-MOR be-sha-LOSH sha-NIM kish-ne sa-KHIR ve-nik-LA ke-VOD mo-AV be-KHOL he-ha-MON ha-RAV u-she-AR me-AT miz-AR LO ka-BIR

   and now has spoken the LORD saying in three years like the years of a hired worker and will be despised the glory of Moab in all the multitude the great and a remnant of few very small or very little not mighty or strong

Exegesis

The final clause ū-še-ʾār mə-ʿaṭ miz-ʿār lō kā-ḇîr {וּשְׁאָ֥ר מְעַט מִזְעָ֖ר לֹא כַבִּיר | ū-še-ʾār mə-ʿaṭ miz-ʿār lō kā-ḇîr} ‘and the remnant will be few, very small, not mighty’ stacks diminutives and negation to heighten the sense of utter reduction. The English rendering preserves the Hebrew’s swift progression from temporal marker through metaphor to climactic contrast.