| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the interrogative imperfect hayaroa {הֲיָרֹ֨עַ | ha-yā-rōaʿ} ‘can it be broken?’, establishing a rhetorical question. The noun barzel {בַּרְזֶל | bār-zēl} appears twice, first alone and then with mitzafon {מִצָּפ֖וֹן | mi-ṣā-pôn}, which marks geographic origin and symbolizes foreign might. The conjunction u- plus nechoshet {וּנְחֹֽשֶׁת | u-ne-ḥō-šet} completes the triad of unyielding metals. The repetition of barzel intensifies the futility of breaking such hard metals, and the English rendering preserves this by repeating “iron” and using dashes for emphasis. |