| 24. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with conjunction yaan {יַעַן | yā‘an} ‘because’, establishing a causal link between Wisdom’s appeal and its reception. The perfect forms karati {קָרָאתִי | qārā’tî} ‘I called’ and natiti {נָטִיתִי | nāṭîṯî} ‘I stretched out’ denote completed divine actions, while the vav-consecutive imperfect vat-tema’enu {וַתְּמָאֵ֑נוּ | vāṯ-təmā’ēnû} ‘and you refused’ indicates the addressees’ immediate reaction. The noun yadi {יָדִי | yāḏî} ‘my hand’ functions as an embodiment of invitation. The negative existential ve-ein {וְאֵ֣ין | wǝ’ên} ‘and there is not’ coupled with the Hiphil participle makshiv {מַקְשִׁיב | makšîḇ} ‘one listening’ emphasizes a sustained absence of response. English translation preserves the parallelism and contrasts between divine initiative and human refusal by mirroring Hebrew clause structures. |