| 8. Linguistic Exegesis The verse unfolds in three parallel vav-consecutive clauses introduced by ve-anu {וְאָנוּ | wə-ʾānû} ‘and will mourn’ and ve-avlu {וְאָבְלוּ | wə-ʾāvəlû} ‘and will lament,’ signaling prophetic future actions. The definite plural noun ha-dayyagim {הַדַּיָּגִ֔ים | haḏ-dayyā-ḡîm} ‘the fishermen’ identifies an occupational group. Each construct participle clause—mashlikhei ba-ya-or khakah {מַשְׁלִיכֵ֥י בַיְא֖וֹר חַכָּ֑ה | maš-lî-ḵê ba-yé-ʾôr ḥaḵ-kāh} ‘those who cast a hook in the Nile’ and u-forshei mikmoret {וּפֹרְשֵׂ֥י מִכְמֹ֛רֶת | ū-pôr-śê miḵ-mō-rêt} ‘those who spread nets’—uses participles to express habitual fishing practices. The merismus between hook and net underscores the totality of fishing methods. The locative construct chain al-penei-mayim {עַל־פְּנֵי־מַ֖יִם | ʿal-pə-ṇê-ma-yîm} ‘upon the surface of the waters’ focuses on immediate setting. The final verb umlalu {אֻמְלָֽלוּ | ŭm-lā-lû} ‘will languish’ conveys resultant physical and emotional depletion. Rendering three coordinated clauses in English preserves the Hebrew poetic parallelism and rhythm. |