| 10. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the interjection ve-hineh {וְהִנֵּ֥ה | wə-hinnēh} ‘and behold’, marking an attention cue. This is followed by shetulah {שְׁתוּלָ֖ה | šəṭūlāh} ‘planted’, which introduces the initial condition. The rhetorical question hatitzlach {הֲתִצְלָ֑ח | hăṭiṣlāḥ} ‘will it succeed?’ raises uncertainty and is reinforced by the negative interrogative halo {הֲלוֹא֩ | hălōʾ} ‘is it not?’. The infinitive construct phrase kega’at bah ruach ha-qadim {כְגַעַת בָּהּ רוּחַ הַקָּדִים | kəgaʿat bāh rūaḥ ha-qādim} ‘when the east wind touches it’ functions as a temporal cause clause indicating sudden adversity. This is followed by the verb pairing tivash yāvoš {תִּיבַשׁ יָבֹשׁ | tīḇaš yāvoš} ‘it will surely dry up’, where the sequence conveys emphasis and certainty. Finally, the prepositional phrase al-arugot tsimchah {עַל־עֲרֻגֹת צִמְחָהּ | ʿalʿărugōṯ ṣimḥāh} ‘on the beds of its growth’ underscores the contrast between cultivation and abrupt destruction. The translation preserves both interrogative momentum and vivid horticultural imagery to convey urgency and fragility. |