| 29. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with akhlu {אָכְלוּ | ʾā-khlû} ‘they have eaten’, immediately followed by vayishtakhuvu {וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ | way-yis̆-ta-ḥă-wû} ‘they have bowed down’, creating a sequence of consumption and worship. A synonymous parallelism links kol-dishnei-erets {כָּל־דִּשְׁנֵי־אֶרֶץ | kol-dish-nê-ʾe-reṣ} ‘all the fat ones of the earth’ with kol-yordei-afar {כָּל־יוֹרְדֵי עָפָר | kol-yôr-dê ʿā-p̄ār} ‘all who descend to the dust’, each group enjoined to kneel (yikhreu {יִכְרְעוּ | yiḵ-rə-ʿû}). The prepositional phrase lefanav {לְפָנָיו | lə-fā-nāw} ‘before Him’ foregrounds the divine recipient. The concluding clause venafsho lo chiyyah {וְנַפְשׁוֹ לֹא חִיָּה | wə-naf-s̆ô lōʾ ḥiy-yāh} negates human ability to preserve life, underscoring universal mortality. The chiastic and parallel structures highlight that both the privileged and the humble must submit to divine authority and face death. |