| 18. Linguistic Exegesis The phrase bayom hahu {בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא | bə-yōm hâ-hû} ‘in that day’ functions as a temporal marker framing an eschatological declaration. The Qal imperfect yiḥ-yû {יִהְיוּ | yiḥ-yû} ‘they will be’ with the cardinal chā-mēš ʿă-rîm {חָמֵשׁ עָרִים | chā-mēš ʿă-rîm} ‘five cities’ announces a future reality. The Piel participle mə-dab-be-rôṯ {מְדַבְּרוֹת | mə-dab-be-rôṯ} ‘speaking’ qualifies their action, linked to the construct phrase sə-faṯ ke-na-ʿan {שְׂפַת כְּנַעַן | sə-faṯ ke-na-ʿan} ‘language of Canaan’. The Nifal participle wə-niš-bā-ʿôṯ {וְנִשְׁבָּעוֹת | wə-niš-bā-ʿôṯ} ‘and taking oaths’ indicates a communal vow. The construct la-ye-hō-wāh tse-vā-’ôṯ {לַיהוָה צְבָאוֹת | la-ye-hō-wāh tse-vā-’ôṯ} frames the act of confession. The final Nifal imperfect yē-ā-mer lə-ʾe-ḥat {יֵאָמֵר לְאֶחָת | yē-ā-mer lə-ʾe-ḥat} assigns the name, preserving Hebrew asyndeton and emphasizing transformation. |