| 33. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the temporal bah-shaata {בַּהּ־שַׁעֲתָא | bah-ša-ʿă-tāʾ} ‘in that hour’, a fronted preposition + suffix phrase bound by maqqef that underscores the exact moment of divine judgment. The subject milleta {מִלְּתָא | mil-lə-ṯāʾ} ‘the matter’ precedes the verb safat {סָפַת | sā-p̄aṯ} ‘was fulfilled’, reflecting Aramaic subject–verb order and emphasizing the decree as the active agent. The prepositional phrase al-nevukhadnetṣar ‘concerning Nebuchadnezzar’ identifies the target of the prophecy. The clause û-min-anasha tarid ‘and from people he was driven’ uses a preposition–noun chain before the verb, highlighting his exclusion. The sequence wə-ʿiś-bāʾ kə-ṯō-rīn yē-ʾā-ḵul ‘and grass like oxen he would eat’ employs an imperfect to indicate ongoing, habitual action. The phrase û-mit-ṭal šə-may-yāʾ giš-mēh ‘and from the dew of heaven his body’ leads into the Ithpaal yitstabba ‘was drenched’, conveying a reflexive/passive result. The ad dî ‘until that/when’ introduces the result clauses: saareh kə-niš-rīn rə-ḇā ‘his hair grew like eagles’ and wə-ṭip-rē-wō-hî kə-ṣip-rīn ‘and his nails like birds’, the latter a verbless nominal clause in Aramaic. Translating perfects as simple past and imperfects as past progressive preserves the original aspect and vivid imagery. |