| 4. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the perfect veamdu {וְעָמְדוּ | wə-ʿā-mə-ḏû} “and they stood,” which in prophetic Hebrew signifies an assured future event. The noun raglav {רַגְלָיו | raḡ-lāw} “his feet” carries a pronominal suffix indicating divine action. The temporal phrase bayomhahu {בַּיּוֹם־הַהוּא | bā-yōm-hā-hû} “on that day” sets eschatological timing. The locative alhar hazetim {עַל־הַר הַזֵּתִים | ʿal-har haz-zê-tîm} “on the Mount of Olives” situates the scene east of Jerusalem, further specified by the relative pronoun asher {אֲשֶׁר | ʾă-šer} “which.” Venivqa {וְנִבְקַע | wə-niv-qaʿ} “and it shall be split” uses the Niphal perfect to describe passive cleaving. The directional clause mechetzyo mizracha vayamah {מֵחֶצְיוֹ מִזְרָחָה וָיָמָּה | mê-ḥə-ṣyô miz-rā-ḥāh wā-yā-māh} “from its middle eastward and westward” specifies the cleft’s orientation. The phrase gei gedolah meod {גֵּיא גְּדוֹלָה מְאֹד | gêʾ gə-dō-lāh mə-ʾōḏ} “very great valley” emphasizes magnitude through an intensifying adverb. Finally, umash {וּמָשׁ | û-māš} “and it shall move” with chetzi {חֲצִי | ḥă-ṣî} “half” and the directional tsafonah vechetzyonegba {צָפוֹנָה וְחֶצְיוֹ־נֶגְבָּה | tsā-pō-nāh wə-ḥe-ṣyô-ne-ḡ-bā} “northward and its half southward” conveys a distributive motion. The sequence of prefixed vav conjunctions and perfect forms underscores continuity and divine certainty in the prophetic vision. |