| 23. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the fronted predicate participle noded {נֹדֵד | nō-dēḏ} ‘wandering,’ followed by the explicit subject hu {הוּא | hû} ‘he,’ a word order that highlights his restless pursuit before identification. The abrupt, elliptical question lalekhem ayyeh {לַלֶּחֶם אַיֵּה | la-le-ḥem ’ay-yeh} ‘for bread—where?’ conveys desperation through compressed syntax. After the segment indicator ( ׀ ), the verb yada {יָדַע | yā-ḏa‘} ‘he knows’ introduces a content clause with ki-nakhon {כִּי־נָכוֹן | kî-nā-khon} functioning as a passive participle (‘that is ready’). The prepositional phrase beyado {בְּיָדוֹ | be-ya-do} ‘in his hand’ idiomatically expresses imminence, and the construct chain yom-khoshekh {יוֹם־חֹשֶךְ | yom-kho-shek} ‘day of darkness’ frames the anticipated calamity. The translation retains the Hebrew’s urgent question and shifts to assured foreboding. |