| 4. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with ki-libbam {כִּֽי־לִ֭בָּם | kî-lib-bām} ‘because their heart’, where the fused causal marker gives prominence to the inner faculty. The perfect verb tsafanta {צָפַ֣נְתָּ | ṣāfanṯā} treats the concealment as completed action, while missekel {מִּשָּׂ֑כֶל | miš-śā-ḵel} ‘from understanding’ uses the assimilated min- prefix to indicate separation from sekel {שָּׂכֶל | śēḵel} ‘discernment’, highlighting withheld insight. The inferential phrase al-ken {עַל־כֵּ֝֗ן | ʿal-kēn} ‘therefore’ introduces the result clause, and the sequence lo {לֹ֣א | lōʾ} + teromem {תְרֹמֵֽם | tərōmēm} ‘you will not exalt’ expresses a definitive negated future, denying public elevation. English retains the cause-and-result linkage by pairing “For”/“Since” with “therefore.” |