| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The verse is a compact poetic lament comprised of three cola. In the first colon, ruhi {רוּחִי | rûḥî} “my spirit” serves as subject, with hubbalah {חֻבָּלָה | ḥub-bā-lāh} “is broken” presenting a stark passive-result state; Hebrew omits a copula for immediacy. The second colon mirrors the first: yamai {יָמַי | yā-may} “my days” plus nizaku {נִזְעָכוּ | niz-ʿā-qû} “are extinguished” again portrays completion. The final colon, qevarim li {קְבָרִים לִי | qĕ-ḇā-rîm lî} “graves for me,” is a verbless nominal clause, where the dative li marks burial as the speaker’s fate. The plural “graves” intensifies the inevitability of death, and semicolons preserve the poem’s stepwise progression. |