| 5. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with libbi {לִבִּי | libbî} ‘my heart’, expressing the prophet’s personal anguish for Moab through lemoav {לְמוֹאָב | lə-Mō-ʼāḇ} ‘for Moab’. The Qal imperfect yiz‘aq {יִזְעָק | yiz-‘āq} ‘cries out’ indicates ongoing lamentation. The construct bericheha {בְּרִיחֶהָ | bə-Rî-ḥeh-hā} ‘by her flight’ functions as the instrumental of movement, modified by ad-tzoar {עַד־צֹעַר | ʿad-ṣō-ʿar} ‘as far as Zoar’, marking the fugitives’ extent. The simile eglat shelishiyyah {עֶגְלַת שְׁלִשִׁיָּה | ʼe-ḡel šə-lî-šî-yāh} ‘heifer of three years’ underscores their weakness. Two causal clauses introduced by ki {כִּי | kî} ‘for/because’ link the lament to locationals: ma‘aleh halluhit {מַעֲלֵה הַלּוּחִית | ma-‘ă-lê ha-l-lu-ḥît} ‘ascent of Luhith’ and derekh horonayim {דֶּרֶךְ חוֹרֹנַיִם | de-reḵ ḥō-rō-na-yim} ‘way of Horonaim’. The phrases bivkhi {בִּבְכִי | bi-vkî} ‘in weeping’ and za‘akat-shever {זַעֲקַת־שֶׁבֶר | za-‘ă-qat-še-ḇer} ‘cry of destruction’ are cognate objects that each culminate in the Piel imperfect ye‘oreru {יְעֹעֵרוּ | yə-‘ō-’ê-rū} ‘they stir up’, creating a parallel structure that intensifies the communal outcry. |