| 9. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with umlalah {אֻמְלְלָ֞ה | ʾum-le-lāh} ‘languishes’, a Niphʿal perfect verb that predicates on yoledet hashivʿāh {יֹלֶדֶת הַשִּׁבְעָה | yō-le-ḏeṯ ha-šiv-ʿāh} ‘the one who bore seven’, an articular participle-noun phrase. The pair nafchah nafsheh {נָפְחָה נַפְשָׁהּ | nāp̄-ḥāh naf-šāh} ‘has breathed out her life’ employs a Qal perfect verb with its object to depict the expiration of life. In the clause ba’ah shimshah be’od yomam {בָּאָ֥ה שִׁמְשָׁ֛הּ בְּעֹ֥ד יוֹמָ֖ם | bā-’āh šim-šāh bə-ʿōḏ yō-mām} ‘her sun has gone down while it is still day’, a Qal perfect verb, a suffixed noun, and a temporal prepositional adjunct combine to convey an untimely catastrophe. The successive verbs boshah vechapeirah {בּ֣וֹשָׁה וְחָפֵ֑רָה | bō-šāh wə-ḥāp̄ê-rāh} ‘she was ashamed and humiliated’ double the sense of disgrace. The noun clause ûshe’eritam lacherav etten lifnei oyveihem {וּשְׁאֵֽרִיתָ֗ם לַחֶרֶב אֶתֵּ֛ן לִפְנֵי אֹיְבֵיהֶ֖ם | û-šə-ʾê-rî-tām la-ḥe-reḇ ʾet-tēn lif-nê ʾoy-vê-hem} ‘and their remnant I will give to the sword before their enemies’ issues a prophetic judgment. The oracle concludes with neum Yahweh {נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה | nə-ʾum Yahweh} ‘declares the LORD’, signifying divine authority. |