| 27. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the subject sareha {שָׂרֶ֣יהָ | śārēhā} ‘her princes’ followed by the locative phrase beqirbah {בְקִרְבָּ֔הּ | bə-qirbâh} ‘in her midst.’ The comparative particle ki {כִּ | ki} introduces the simile kize’evim {כִּזְאֵבִ֖ים | ki-ze’ēvîm} ‘like wolves,’ which then governs the participle torfei {טֹ֣רְפֵי | tōr-p̄ê} ‘tearing’ with its object teref {טָ֑רֶף | tā-rep̄} ‘prey.’ Two infinitive clauses, lishpokh-dam {לִשְׁפָּךְ־דָּם | liš-pāḵ dām} ‘to pour out blood’ and le’abbed nefashot {לְאַבֵּ֣ד נְפָשׁ֔וֹת | lə-ʾabbêḏ nᵉp̄āšōṯ} ‘to destroy souls,’ enumerate the violent acts. The purpose clause introduced by lema‘an {לְמַ֖עַן | lᵉma‘an} ‘for the sake of’ leads into betzoa {בְּצֹ֥עַ | bəṣō‘a} ‘to get gain’ and its object batza {בָּֽצַע | bāṣa‘} ‘gain,’ revealing a motive of exploitation. This chain of Hebrew infinitives and participles creates a rapid sequence of action, which is rendered in English through coordinated clauses that preserve both force and intent. |