| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the paired imperatives ze'aq {זְעַק | zə-ʿaq} ‘cry out’ and ve-heylel {וְהֵילֵל | və-hê-lēl} ‘wail’, intensifying lament. The vocative ben adam {בֶּן־אָדָם | ben-ʾā-ḏām} ‘son of man’ directs prophetic address. The conjunction ki {כִּי | kî} introduces a causal clause with haytah {הָיְתָה | hāy-ṯāh} ‘has come’ governing be-ammi {בְּעַמִּי | bə-ʿam-mî} ‘upon my people’. A parallel clause begins with hi {הִיא | hîʾ} ‘it is’ and u-vekhol {וּבְכָל | û-ḇə-ḵāl} ‘and upon all’, linking nesiei {נְשִׂיאֵי | nə-śî-ʾê} ‘princes’ of yisrael {יִשְׂרָאֵל | yiś-rā-ʾēl}. The phrase megurai {מְגוּרַי | mə-ḡû-rāy} literally ‘my terrors’ with el-cherev {אֶל־חֶרֶב | ʾel-ḥe-reḇ} ‘to the sword’ and perfect hayu {הָיוּ | hā-yû} ‘have been’ employs an idiom of deliverance: princes and people are handed over together to the sword. The final imperative sfok {סְפֹק | sə-p̄ōq} ‘strike’ with el-yerekh {אֶל־יְרֵךְ | ʾel-ye-rēkh} ‘upon the thigh’ invokes the ritual sign of mourning, framing communal lament. |