| 8. Linguistic Exegesis The prophetic formula vehayah {וְהָיָ֤ה | wə-hā-yāh} ‘and it shall be’ introduces a future event. The scope is established by bekhol-haaretz {בְכָל־הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ | bə-ḵāl-hā-ʾā-reṣ} ‘in all the land’. The construct ne'um-Yahweh {נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה | nə-ʾum-Yahweh} ‘declaration of the LORD’ asserts divine authority. The idiom pi-shenayim {פִּֽי־שְׁנַ֣יִם | pî-šə-ná-yim} ‘portion of two’ conveys the two-thirds distribution, while the parallel verbs yikkaretu {יִכָּרְת֖וּ | yik-kā-rə-ṭū} ‘they shall be cut off’ and yigvau {יִגְוָ֑עוּ | yig-vā-ʿū} ‘they shall die’ emphasize removal and death. The coordinate veha-shelishit {וְהַשְּׁלִשִׁ֖ית | wə-ha-šə-li-šît} ‘and the third’ introduces the remaining portion, completed by yivater {יִוָּ֥תֶר | yi-vā-ṭer} ‘shall remain’. The suffix pronoun in bah {בָּֽהּ | bāh} ‘in it’ maintains focus on the land. |