| 15. Linguistic Exegesis The clause begins with velo {וְלֹא | wə-lō} “and not” prefaced to the imperfect yihyeh {יִהְיֶה | yi-hyēh} “there will be,” forming an emphatic negative future. The prepositional phrase lemitzrāyim {לְמִצְרַיִם | lə-mits-rā-yim} “for Egypt” indicates the target of the oracle. The noun ma’aseh {מַעֲשֶׂה | ma-‘ă-sêh} “work” serves as the direct object, linked by the relative particle asher {אֲשֶׁר | ’ă-šer} to the verb ya’aseh {יַעֲשֶׂה | ya-‘ă-sêh} “will do.” The merism rosh ve-zanav {רֹאשׁ וְזָנָב | rō-’š wə-zā-nav} paired with kipah ve-agmon {כִּפָּה וְאַגְמוֹן | ki-ppāh wə-’ag-mōn} uses antonymic pairs to denote totality from highest to lowest, emphasizing complete inability. The relative clause construction and the imperfect form underscore ongoing consequence typical of prophetic pronouncements. |