| 22. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the interrogative ad-matai {עַד־מָתַי | ʿad-maṯay} ‘until when’, introducing three successive direct addresses to petayim {פְּתָיִם | pəṯāyim} ‘simple ones’, letsim {וְלֵצִים | wəleṣîm} ‘scoffers’, and kesîlîm {וּכְסִילִים | ukesîlîm} ‘fools’. Each clause links a verb expressing preference—love (Qal imperfect teʾehavū), have desired (Qal perfect ḥāmaḏû), and hate (Qal imperfect yisnᵉʾû)—to its object: simplicity (petî {פֶתִי | peṯî}), mockery (lāṣôn {לָצוֹן | lāṣôn}), and knowledge (daʿāṯ {דָעַת | daʿāṯ}). The second clause features a verb–subject inversion for emphasis, while the third clause maintains the interrogative pattern by repeating the interrogative marker. This tripartite parallelism intensifies the rebuke, and the English retains the confrontational tone across all three questions. |