| 22. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the causal conjunction ki {כִּי | kî} ‘for’, linking the warning to the preceding advice. The temporal adverb pit’om {פִתְאֹם | pitʾōm} ‘suddenly’ intensifies the immediacy of the event. The verb yāqûm {יָקוּם | yāqûm} ‘will arise’ takes ʾêydām {אֵידָם | ʾêydām} ‘their calamity’ as its subject, highlighting the unexpected onset of disaster. The vav-prefixed noun ûp̄îḏ {וּפִיד | ûp̄îḏ} ‘and ruin’, coupled with šənêhêm {שְׁנֵיהֶם | šənêhêm} ‘of both of them’, establishes a parallel description of dual devastation. The interrogative mî {מִי | mî} ‘who’ together with the participle yōḏēaʿ {יוֹדֵעַ | yōḏēaʿ} ‘knows’ forms a rhetorical question that underscores human inability to anticipate complete destruction. |