| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The proverb employs antithetical parallelism in two balanced lines. The first clause begins with the noun sin’ah {שִׂנְאָה | śinnāʾ} ‘hatred’ as subject, followed by the Piel imperfect verb te’orer {תְּעוֹרֵר | təʿôrēr} ‘stirs up’ taking the object medanim ‘strife’. In the second clause the adversative combination of waw and the preposition ʻal marks contrast, introducing the noun phrase kol-pesha’im ‘all transgressions’, which is followed by the Piel imperfect verb tekasseh ‘covers’ and the noun ahavah ‘love’ in post-verbal position for emphasis. The imperfect aspect in both verbs suggests ongoing or habitual action. The placement of ahavah at the end heightens love’s protective effect, underscoring the proverb’s moral contrast between a destructive and a restorative principle. |