| 4. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the interrogative-negative hă-lō {הֲלֹא | hă-lō} ‘have not,’ posing a rhetorical question. The verb yā-ḏə-ʿû {יָדְעוּ | yā-ḏə-ʿû} ‘they have known’ follows, completing “Have they not known…?” The construct phrase kôl pō-ʿă-lê ʾā-ven {כָּל־פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן | kôl pō-ʿă-lê ʾā-ven} ‘all workers of iniquity’ serves as the subject. The participle ʾō-ḵə-lê ʿam-mî {אֹכְלֵי עַמִּי | ʾō-ḵə-lê ʿam-mî} ‘eaters of my people’ functions appositionally to portray predatory oppression. The verb ʾā-ḵə-lū {אָכְלוּ | ʾā-ḵə-lū} plus object le-ḥem {לֶחֶם | le-ḥem} depicts them devouring my people like bread, indicating habitual exploitation. The final clause Yə-hō-wāh lō qā-rā-ʾû {יְ֝הוָ֗ה לֹ֣א קָרָֽאוּ | Yə-hō-wāh lō qā-rā-ʾû} foregrounds the divine name, negation, and verb to underscore their refusal to call upon the LORD as the source of injustice. |