| 11. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the causal connector al-ken {עַל־כֵּן | ʿal-kēn} ‘therefore’, linking this lament to the preceding prophecy. The paired nouns me'ai {מֵעַי | mē‘ay} ‘inner parts’ and kirbi {וְקִרְבִּ֖י | wə-qirbî} ‘inward being’ form a synonymous parallelism that intensifies the emotional register. The Qal imperfect yehhemu {יֶֽהֱמ֑וּ | yəhhemmū} ‘they will groan’ anthropomorphizes the visceral core, and the simile ka-kinor {כַּכִּנּוֹר | ka-kinnôr} ‘like a harp’ evokes mournful music. The prepositional phrases lemo'av {לְמוֹאָב | lə-mō’āḇ} ‘for Moab’ and le-kir kharesh {לְקִיר חָֽרֶשׂ | lə-qîr ḥāreś} ‘for Kir Hares’ specify the geographic focus of this prophetic lament. |