| 22. Linguistic Exegesis The verse employs parallelism by pairing a physical and an internal experience. The restrictive particle akh-besaro {אַךְ-בְּ֭שָׂרוֹ | ʾaḵ-bəśārô} ‘only in his flesh’ narrows focus to bodily affliction, immediately followed by the locative alav {עָלָיו | ʿālāyw} ‘upon him’ and the imperfect yikhav {יִכְאָב | yiḵʾāḇ} ‘he is in pain’, which conveys continuous suffering. The conjunction ve-nafsho {וְ֝נַפְשׁוֹ | wə-nafšô} ‘and his soul’ introduces the second line, mirrored by the same locative alav {עָלָיו | ʿālāyw} and the Qal imperfect teʾĕḇāl {תֶּאֱבָֽל | teʾĕḇāl} ‘it mourns’, agreeing with the feminine noun. The repetition of structure and terms underscores an inward focus on both flesh and soul, intensifying the portrayal of comprehensive grief without an explicit agent. |