| 11. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the particle akh {אַךְ | ʾaḵ} ‘surely’, introducing a confident declaration. The noun evilim {אֱוִלִים֙ | ʾĕ-wî-lîm} ‘fools’ functions as the predicate nominative following an implied copula. The construct chain sarei tzoan {שָׂרֵי צֹעַן | śārê ṣôʿǎn} ‘princes of Zoan’ identifies high-ranking officials by region. A second construct chain chakmei yoatzei par’oh {חַכְמֵי יֹעֲצֵי פַרְעֹה | ḥaḵmê yô‘ăṣê pā-rōʾ} ‘wise counselors of Pharaoh’ highlights their former status. The phrase etsa niv’arah {עֵצָה נִבְעָרָה | ‘êṣā nîv-ə‘ārā} uses the Niphal perfect to denote that their counsel has undergone a completed change into folly. The rhetorical question eikh to’mru el-par’oh {אֵיךְ תֹּאמְרוּ אֶל־פַרְעֹ֔ה | ’êykh ṯō’ām-rū ’el-pā-rōʾ} ‘How can you say to Pharaoh’ introduces direct speech ben-chakhamim ani, ben-malkei-kedem {בֶּן־חֲכָמִ֥ים אֲנִי בֶּן־מַלְכֵי־קֶדֶם | ben-ḥă-ḵā-mîm ’ă-nî ben-mal-ḵêy-ḵê-dēm} ‘I am the son of wise men, the son of kings of old,’ employing parallelism to underscore the irony of asserting noble lineage. The English translations preserve the original’s construct chains and rhetorical emphasis. |