“like the heat in a dry place.” The placement of this phrase is disputed by scholars. To us and others (cp. ESV; NIV), it seems to fit best as the last phrase in the sentence that started in Isaiah 25:4. The heat in the Middle East is oppressive and pounds down on people. Thus, the breath of the ruthless pounds people down, like a pounding rain during the rainy season, and the pounding oppressive heat during the dry season.