qa.mal describes the wasting or withering of waterways and land in scenes of desolation.

The attested use describes visible deterioration or withering: waterways are portrayed as drying up in Isaiah 19:6, while the land and Lebanon are portrayed as languishing or withering in Isaiah 33:9.

1. Wasting or withering in desolation · dominant

   In Isaiah 19:6, the Qal perfect plural form occurs in a scene where rivers stink, languish, and dry up; the APB renders the concluding clause, "The branches of the Nile of Egypt and the Red Sea decay." In Isaiah 33:9, the Qal perfect masculine singular form occurs with the land mourning and Lebanon being put to shame; the APB renders Lebanon as one that "withers."

   Isaiah 19:6Isaiah 33:9

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the term with "decay" in Isaiah 19:6 and "withers" in Isaiah 33:9. These renderings confirm the verses' portrayal of deterioration without isolating each English word as a precise equivalent.