| 15. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the conditional particle lu {לֽוּ־ | lû} ‘if’, which introduces a hypothetical judgment scenario. The Hiphil verb aʿavir {אַעֲבִ֥יר | ʾa-ʿă-ḇîr} ‘I cause to pass’ implies divine agency, followed by the object ḥayyah raʿah {חַיָּ֥ה רָעָ֛ה | ḥay-yāh rā-ʿāh} ‘evil beast’. The Piel perfect ve-shiklāttā {וְשִׁכְּלָ֑תָּה | wə-šik-kə-lā-tāh} ‘and it bereaves’ signals complete annihilation of inhabitants, leading to the Qal perfect ve-haytāh shemamah {וְהָיְתָ֤ה שְׁמָמָה֙ | wə-hā-yə-ṯāh šə-mā-māh} ‘and it becomes desolation’. The prepositional phrase miblī ʿōbēr mip-pə-nê ha-ḥay-yāh {מִבְּלִ֣י עוֹבֵ֔ר מִפְּנֵ֖י הַחַיָּֽה | mib-lî ʿō-ḇēr mip-pə-nê ha-ḥay-yāh} ‘without passage because of the beast’ emphasizes the utter exclusion of travelers. English word order is adjusted for natural flow while preserving the Hebrew conditional-causal sequence. |