| 4. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the preposition ba‘avur {בַּעֲב֤וּר | ba-ʿă-vūr} ‘because of,’ marking a causal clause. The definite noun ha-adamah {הָאֲדָמָה֙ | hā-ʾă-ḏā-māh} ‘the ground’ serves as the subject of the Qal perfect verb khattah {חַ֔תָּה | ḥat-tāh} ‘is dried up,’ personifying the land’s condition. The conjunction ki {כִּ֛י | kî} introduces a reason clause with the negated verb lohayah {לֹא־הָיָ֥ה | lōʾ-hā-yāh} ‘there was not’ governing geshem {גֶ֖שֶׁם | ge-šem} ‘rain’ and the locative baaretz {בָּאָ֑רֶץ | bā-ʾā-reṣ} ‘in the land.’ The sequential Qal perfect verbs boshu {בֹּ֥שׁוּ | bō-šū} ‘were ashamed’ and khafu {חָפ֥וּ | ḥā-p̄ū} ‘covered’ with the noun rosham {רֹאשָֽׁם | rō-šām} ‘their heads’ vividly portray the farmers’ emotional and physical response to drought. The tight verbal progression underscores the intensifying impact of dryness on agrarian life. |