| 16. Linguistic Exegesis The proverb features two parallel construct chains: pe'ulat tsaddiq {פְּעֻלַּת צַדִּיק | pə‘ullāṯ ṣaddîq} ‘work of the righteous’ and tevu'at rasha' {תְּבוּאַת רָשָׁע | təvū’āṯ rāšā‘} ‘gain of the wicked’. The preposition lə- marks chayyim {חַיִּים | ḥay-yîm} ‘life’ as positive result and chatat {חַטָּאת | ḥaṭ-ṭā’-ṯ} ‘sin’ as negative consequence, establishing a thematic contrast. In English, the nominal outcomes are rendered as verb clauses (“leads to”/“lead to”) to maintain readability while preserving the proverb’s emphasis on outcome. |