| 6. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive u-metu {וּמֵתוּ | û-mēṯû} ‘and they will die’, introducing a pronouncement of judgment on both gedolim {גְדֹלִים | gədōlîm} ‘great ones’ and u-ktannim {וּקְטַנִּים | û-qəṭannîm} ‘small ones’. The prepositional phrase ba-aretz hazot {בָּאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת | bāʾāreṣ haz-zōʾṯ} ‘in this land’ provides locative setting. A series of negative imperfect verbs—yiqqāḇērû {יִקָּבֵרוּ | yiqqāḇērû} ‘they shall not be buried’, wə-lōʾ-yispəḏû {וְלֹא־יִסְפְּדוּ | wə-lōʾ yispəḏû} ‘nor shall they lament’, wə-lōʾ-yitgōḏad {וְלֹא יִתְגֹּדַד | wə-lōʾ yitgōḏad} ‘nor shall one cut himself’, wə-lōʾ-yiqqārēaḥ {וְלֹא יִקָּרֵחַ | wə-lōʾ yiqqārēaḥ} ‘nor shall one make himself bald’—creates a rhythmic parallelism that highlights the complete absence of customary mourning practices as a symbol of communal isolation under divine judgment. |