| 14. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the causative Piel verb venipatztiym {וְנִפַּצְתִּם֩ | wə-nip-paṣ-tîm} ‘and I will shatter them,’ which establishes divine judgment. The phrase ish el-achiv {אִ֨ישׁ אֶל־אָחִ֜יו | ʾîš ʾel-ʾā-ḥîw} ‘a man against his brother’ employs the preposition ʾel to indicate opposition. The coordinated nouns veha-avot {וְהָאָבוֹת | wə-hā-ʾā-ḇōt} ‘the fathers’ and veha-banim {וְהַבָּנִים | wə-hab-bā-nîm} ‘and the sons’ joined by the adverb yachdaw {יַחְדָּ֖ו | yaḥ-dāw} ‘together’ broaden the conflict to a generational scope. The prophetic formula neum-Yahweh {נְאֻם־יְהוָ֑ה | nə-ʾum-Yahweh} marks the divine speaker. A series of negatives lo-echmol {לֹֽא־אֶחְמוֹל | lō-ʾeḥ-mōl}, ve-lo-achus {וְלֹֽא־אָח֛וּס | wə-lō-ʾā-ḥûs}, and ve-lo {וְלֹ֥א | wə-lō} preceding arachem {אֲרַחֵ֖ם | ʾă-ra-ḥêm} ‘I will have mercy’ build cumulative denial. The final clause me-hashchitam {מֵהַשְׁחִיתָֽם | mē-haš-ḥî-ṯām} is rendered as definitive destruction, preserving the Hebrew intent. |