| 28. Linguistic Exegesis The clause begins with vehu {וְ֭הוּא | wə-hûʾ} as a resumptive subject, picking up the referent from the surrounding discourse. Two parallel similes introduced by ke-—kerakav {כְּרָקָב | kə-rā-qāḇ} ‘like decay’ and keveged {כְּבֶגֶד | kə-ḇe-geḏ} ‘like a garment’—create cumulative imagery of deterioration. The imperfect yivleh {יִבְלֶה | yiḇ-leh} conveys an ongoing wearing out, while the perfect akhalo ash {אֲכָלוֹ עָשׁ | ʾă-ḵā-lô ʿāš} places the action of consumption before the time of reference, yielding a vivid proverbial snapshot. English renders the first simile actively in formal (“consumed by a moth”) and in passive voice in dynamic (“eaten through by a moth”) to preserve the Hebrew verb-subject order and maintain the tight “like… like…” structure. |