Just a guess as to the form of Sm. This is a very interesting reading. So, here Sm is the imperative, and swt the expected particle to enforce the imperative. It wouldn't make any sense for him to tell his wife to measure the barley when he then does it himself. At the moment I'm undecided which reading to prefer.
Most sources derive desert from Latin.
Personally, I would tend to go with the Latin derivation. Most sources derive desert from Latin. For me as a neophyte, I really needed help with all of the answers. I took the course but there was so little help in the book that I have not completed all of the exercises in the book. If anyone could provide me with information on her past history or refer me to books or sites which could, I would be exceedingly grateful.