הָיָֽה׃

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 הָיָֽה׃

   ha-YA

   was or existed
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 לֹ֥א הָיָֽה׃

   LO ha-YA

   not was or existed
3. clause🔊 כִּֽי־יָבֵ֤שׁ חָצִיר֙ כָּ֣לָה דֶ֔שֶׁא יֶ֖רֶק לֹ֥א הָיָֽה׃

   KI-ya-VESH kha-TSIR ka-LA DE-she YE-rek LO ha-YA

   for has dried up grass has come to an end or is finished vegetation or tender grass greenery not was or existed
4. sentence🔊 כִּֽי־מֵ֥י נִמְרִ֖ים מְשַׁמּ֣וֹת יִֽהְי֑וּ כִּֽי־יָבֵ֤שׁ חָצִיר֙ כָּ֣לָה דֶ֔שֶׁא יֶ֖רֶק לֹ֥א הָיָֽה׃

   KI-MEI nim-re-RIM me-sham-MOT yih-YU KI-ya-VESH kha-TSIR ka-LA DE-she YE-rek LO ha-YA

   for the waters of Nimrim desolations or waste places they will be for has dried up grass has come to an end or is finished vegetation or tender grass greenery not was or existed

Exegesis

The nouns chatzir {חָצִיר | ḥāṣîר} ‘grass’ and deshe {דֶּשֶׁא | dešê} ‘tender grass’ categorize stages of plant life, while yereq lo hayah {יֶרֶק לֹא הָיָה | yērēq lōʾ hāyāh} ‘no green thing is’ forms a negated nominal clause emphasizing total absence. The coordinated clauses create an escalating depiction of ecological ruin through causal linkage.