| 9. Linguistic Exegesis The verse employs two parallel rhetorical questions introduced by the interrogative term hatov {הֲטוֹב | hă-ṭôb} ‘is it good’, setting an evaluative tone. The first clause features the Qal imperfect yaḥqor {יַחְקֹר | yaḥ-qor} ‘examines’ with the accusative marker etkhem {אֶתְכֶם | ʾeṯ-kem}, presenting divine scrutiny. The second clause is coordinated by the conditional particle im {אִם | ʾim} ‘or if’, followed by the Hifil infinitive construct kehātel {כְּהָתֵל | kə-hā-ṯēl} ‘like deceiving’ and the Hifil imperfect tehātellu {תְּהָתֵלּוּ | tə-hā-ṯēl-lû} ‘will you deceive’, drawing an analogy with human action be’enosh {בֶּאֱנוֹשׁ | bə-ʾe-nôš} ‘with a mortal man’. The final prepositional phrase bo {בּוֹ | bô} ‘in him’ intensifies the metaphor by directing human folly toward the divine, underscoring the absurdity of deceiving God. |