| 17. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with ve-hayetah {וְהָיְתָה | wə-hā-yā-ṯā} ‘and shall become’ marking a vav consecutive narrative shift. The subject construct admat Yehudah {אַדְמַת יְהוּדָה | ʾă-ḏmat Yĕ-hû-ḏāh} ‘land of Judah’ is followed by lemitzrayim lichagga {לְמִצְרַיִם לְחָגָּא | lĕ-miṣ-rā-yim lĕ-ḥāg-gāʾ} ‘to Egypt for terror’, indicating the effect on Egypt. The relative clause introduced by kol asher {כֹּל אֲשֶׁר | kol ă-šer} ‘everyone who’ governs yazkir otah elav {יַזְכִּיר אֹתָהּ אֵלָיו | yăz-kîr ʾō-ṯāh ʾē-lā-yōw} ‘mentions it to him’, leading into the result clause yiphchad {יִפְחָד | yip-ḥāḏ} ‘will fear’. The causal phrase mipnei atzat Yahweh tsevaot {מִפְּנֵי עֲצַת יְהוָה צְבָא֔וֹת | mip-pĕ-nê ʿă-ṣat Yə-hō-wāh ṣə-vā-’ōṯ} ‘because of the counsel of the LORD of hosts’ attributes the terror to divine origin. The following relative clause asher-hu yoetz alav {אֲשֶׁר־ה֖וּא יוֹעֵץ עָלָֽיו | ă-šer-hû yō-‘êṣ ‘a-lā-yōw} ‘which he counsels against it’ highlights the ongoing divine strategy. The English rendering preserves Hebrew word order emphasis and causal relationships. |