| 6. Linguistic Exegesis The Hebrew verse begins with the causal conjunction ki {כִּי | kî} ‘for’, introducing the first reason clause. The construct phrase mei Nimrim {מֵי נִמְרִים | mēy nimrîm} ‘waters of Nimrim’ specifies location. The adjective meshammot {מְשַׁמּוֹת | məšammōṯ} ‘desolate’ with the imperfect yihyu {יִהְיוּ | yihyû} ‘they shall be’ forms a destined-desolation clause. A second ki {כִּי | kî} ‘for’ marks a parallel cause; the perfect verbs yavesh {יָבֵשׁ | yāvēš} ‘has dried up’ and kalah {כָּלָה | kālāh} ‘has perished’ depict successive declines in vegetation. 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. |