| 14. Linguistic Exegesis The verse presents a series of parallel clauses that depict complete collapse. The initial simile kamayim {כַּמַּיִם | ka-mā-yim} ‘like water’ pairs with nishpachti {נִשְׁפַּכְתִּי | niš-paḥ-tî} ‘I am poured out’, employing the Niphal perfect to emphasize passive dissolution. This is immediately followed by vehitpardu {וְהִתְפָּרְדוּ | wə-hit-pā-rə-ḏû} ‘and they are separated’, a Hitpael perfect that intensifies the image of internal fragmentation, applied to kolatzmotai {כָּל־עַצְמוֹתָי | kol-ʿaṣ-mo-ṯāy} ‘all my bones’. The parallel clause hayah libbi {הָיָה לִבִּי | hā-yāh lib-bî} ‘my heart was’ introduces kadonag {כַּדּוֹנָג | ka-dō-nāg} ‘like wax’ in a comparative construction, which shifts focus to emotional frailty, and names {נָמֵס | nā-mēs} ‘it is melted’ combined with betokh {בְּתוֹךְ | bə-tōḵ} ‘within’ and meai {מֵעָי | mē-ʿāy} ‘my inward parts’ returns to passive Niphal to underline utter defeat. The parallel verb stems and coordinated clauses reinforce the theme of total dissolution. |