| 34. Linguistic Exegesis The verse uses two parallel similes introduced by ke-shokhev {כְשֹׁכֵב | kə-šô-ḵêḇ} ‘like lying down’, creating a balanced poetic structure. The first simile employs be-lev-yam {בְּלֶב־יָם | bə-lēḇ-yām} ‘in the heart of the sea’, a construct chain indicating the most perilous interior of the sea. The second simile utilizes be-rosh khibel {בְּרֹאשׁ חִבֵּל | bə-rō-ʾ ḥîḇ-ḇēl} ‘on the top of a mast’, depicting extreme precariousness at a vessel’s highest point. The vav-prefixed verb vehayita {וְ֭הָיִיתָ | wə-hā-yî-yāṯ} connects these similes, emphasizing continuity of the disoriented condition. In English, the Hebrew participles are rendered with “like one who lies down” or “lying” to preserve the vividness of the original imagery, and the construct chains are conveyed through prepositional phrases to maintain relational nuance. |