| 23. Linguistic Exegesis The Hebrew sentence opens with the nominal clause rāv-oḵhel {רָב־אֹכֶל | rāv-oḵhel} ‘much food’, establishing an initial state of abundance. This is followed by the construct chain nîr rāšîm {נִיר רָאשִׁים | nîr rāšîm} ‘field of the poor’, where rāšîm in construct indicates possession. The conjunction plus existential particle wə-yēš {וְיֵשׁ | wə-yēš} ‘and there is’ introduces a contrasting clause. The niphal participle nîsp̄eh {נִסְפֶּה | nîsp̄eh} functions as the predicate ‘to be swept away’. The prepositional phrase bĕ-lōʼ mišp̄āṭ {בְּלֹא מִשְׁפָּט | bĕ-lōʼ mišp̄āṭ} ‘without justice’ marks the circumstance causing the loss. This parallel structure balances initial abundance with the resultant loss from absence of legal fairness. |