| 9. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the emphatic particle ʾakh {אַךְ | ʾakh} ‘surely’ to underscore the imperative, followed by the prepositional phrase ba-Yahweh {בַּיהוָה | bə-yəhōwāh} ‘in the LORD’ framing divine reliance. The jussive-imperative ʾal-timrōdū {אַל־תִּמְרֹדוּ | ʾal-timrōdū} ‘do not rebel’ sets the first command, linked by wə-ʾattēm {וְאַתֶּם | wə-ʾattēm} ‘and you’ to the parallel command ʾal-tirʾū {אַל־תִּֽירְאוּ | ʾal-tirʾū} ‘do not fear.’ The direct object phrase et-am {אֶת־עַם | ʾet-ʿam} introduces “the people,” followed by ha-aretz {הָאָרֶץ | hā-ʾāreṣ} “of the land.” The conjunction kī {כִּי | kī} introduces the rationale: laḥmēnū hēm {לַחְמֵנוּ הֵם | laḥmēnū hēm} “they are our bread,” a metaphor for assured conquest. The perfect verb sār {סָר | sār} with tsillam me-aleihem {צִלָּם מֵעֲלֵיהֶם | ṣillām mē-ʿālēhem} conveys the removal of protection. The vav-wa-Yahweh {וַֽיהוָה | wayhōwāh} resumes “and the LORD” with ittanu {אִתָּנוּ | ʾittānū} “with us,” emphasizing divine presence, and the final imperative al-tiraum {אַל־תִּירָאֻם | ʾal-tirʾām} ‘do not fear them’ completes the parallel exhortation. |