| 7. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the fronted simile kegallo {כְּגֶלָּלוֹ | kəgelălô} ‘like his dung,’ placing the image of contempt and decay at the beginning for emphasis. The adverbial lanetsach {לָנֶצַח | lāneṣaḥ} ‘forever’ closely modifies yobēd {יֹאַבֵד | yōʾbēd} ‘he will perish,’ fusing the act of destruction with permanence. A strong pause follows yobēd, marked by the disjunctive cantillation accent, separating the statement of ruin from the observers’ response. The participle roʾayw {רֹאָיו | rōʾāyw} ‘those seeing him’ acts as the subject of the second clause, followed by the imperfect yoməru {יֹאמְרוּ | yōʾmərû} ‘they will say,’ which introduces the rhetorical inquiry encapsulated by ʾayyô {אַיּוֹ | ʾayyô} ‘where is he?’ This question underscores the thoroughness of his removal and invites reflection on his vanished presence. |