| 15. Linguistic Exegesis The verse is structured as three parallel negative clauses each marked by lo {לֹא | lō} ‘not’, defining righteousness by total abstention. In the first clause, the prepositional phrase al-heharim {עַל־הֶֽהָרִים֙ | ʿal-he-hā-rîm} situates the action in a cultic mountain worship setting, paired with the Qal perfect verb akhal {אָכָ֔ל | ʾā-ḵal} ‘he ate’, indicating completed refusal to join such feasts. The second clause, introduced by ve-einav lo nasa {וְעֵינָיו֙ לֹ֣א נָשָׂ֔א | wə-ʿê-nāw lō nā-śāʾ}, shifts to cognitive restraint from looking at gillulei {גִּלּוּלֵ֖י | gil-lū-lê} ‘idols’, with nasa {נָשָׂ֔א | nā-śāʾ} ‘lift’ plus el {אֶל־ | ʾel}. The final clause foregrounds the direct object with et {אֶת־ | ʾet} before the construct phrase eshet rei’ehu {אֵ֥שֶׁת רֵעֵ֖הוּ | ʾē-šet rē-ʿê-hū}, and employs the Piel perfect timme {טִמֵּֽא | tim-mē} ‘he defiled’ to intensify the covenant violation. Hebrew parallelism and repetition of lo + verb + object underscore moral purity. The English rendering maintains this parallel structure with negative clauses reordered for idiomatic clarity and rhetorical balance. |