| 15. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the conjunction wə- {וְ | wə-} ‘and’, linking this clause to the prior narrative, followed by ešed {אֶשֶׁד | ʾe-šed} ‘slope’ as the topical subject. The noun han-nə-ḥā-lîm {הַנְּחָלִים | han-nə-ḥā-lîm} ‘ravines’ carries the definite article and forms a construct relationship with ešed, specifying the slope’s source. A relative clause introduced by ʾă-šer {אֲשֶׁר | ʾă-šer} ‘which’ modifies the slope, and the Qal perfect nā-ṭāh {נָטָה | nā-ṭāh} ‘stretches’ indicates completed extension. The prepositional phrase lə-še-vet {לְשֶׁבֶת | lə-še-vet} ‘toward settlement’ governs ʿār {עָר | ʿār}, designating the Moabite locale. A parallel Nifal perfect clause with wə-niš-ʿan {וְנִשְׁעַן | wə-niš-ʿan} ‘and leans’ mirrors the first action, creating a chiastic topographical description. The final phrase li-gvul {לִגְב֥וּל | li-gvul} ‘to border’ links to mō-ʾāḇ {מוֹאָב | mō-ʾāḇ}, marking Moab’s boundary. The English rendering preserves Hebrew directional structure within a single descriptive clause. |