| 3. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with a vav-consecutive verb ufakadti {וּפָקַדְתִּ֨י | u-pakad-ti} ‘and I will appoint,’ which emphasizes the LORD’s authoritative decree. The phrase arba mishpachot {אַרְבַּע מִשְׁפָּחוֹת֙ | ar-baʿ miš-pā-ḥōt} functions as a technical enumeration “four categories” of divine instruments of judgment. The prophetic formula neum-Yahweh {נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה | nə-ʾum-Yə-hō-wāh} introduces authoritative speech. A series of direct-object markers et {אֶת־ | ʾet} precedes each instrument, followed by infinitive constructs laharog {לַֽהֲרֹ֔ג | la-ha-rōg} ‘to kill,’ lischov {לִסְחֹב | li-sḥōv} ‘to drag away,’ le-ekhol {לֶאֱכֹ֥ל | le-ʾe-ḵōl} ‘to eat,’ and ule-hashchit {וּלְהַשְׁחִֽית | u-le-haš-ḥîṯ} ‘to destroy.’ Construct chains bird-of-the-heavens and beast-of-the-earth broaden the scope of the agents. The Hebrew word order places instruments before actions for rhetorical emphasis, preserved in the English enumeration. |