| 7. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive va'ezrem {וָאֶזְרֵם | wā-’ez-rēm} ‘and I winnowed them,’ signaling divine judgment action. The instrumental phrase b'mizreh {בְּמִזְרֶה | bə-miz-reh} ‘with a winnowing fork’ and the locative construct b'sha'arei ha'aretz {בְּשַׁעֲרֵי הָאָרֶץ | bə-ša-ʿă-rê hā-ʾā-reṣ} ‘at the gates of the land’ specify the means and place of separation. In the Piel perfect verbs shikkalti {שִׁכַּלְתִּי | ši-kal-ti} ‘I have bereaved’ and ibbadti {אִבַּדְתִּי | ʾib-bad-ti} ‘I have destroyed,’ the doubling of divine subjects intensifies personal accountability. The object et ammi {אֶת־עַמִּי | ʾet ʿam-mî} ‘my people’ underscores the covenant relationship, while mi-darkheim {מִדַּרְכֵיהֶם | mi-dar-khê-hem} ‘from their ways’ states the cause. The concluding lo-shavu {לֹא־שָׁבוּ | lō-šā-vû} ‘they did not return’ functions as a summary reason clause for the judgment. The formal translation preserves Hebrew word order and legal imagery, whereas the dynamic version highlights relational loss and clarifies moral failure by specifying ‘habitual conduct.’ |