כִּמְעָֽט׃

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 כִּמְעָֽט׃

   kim-E-AT

   as a little
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 רְשָׁעִ֣ים כִּמְעָֽט׃

   re-sha-IM kim-E-AT

   of wicked ones as a little
3. clause🔊 לֵ֖ב רְשָׁעִ֣ים כִּמְעָֽט׃

   LEV re-sha-IM kim-E-AT

   heart of wicked ones as a little
4. sentence🔊 כֶּ֣סֶף נִ֭בְחָר לְשׁ֣וֹן צַדִּ֑יק לֵ֖ב רְשָׁעִ֣ים כִּמְעָֽט׃

   KE-sef niv-KHAR le-SHON tsa-DIK LEV re-sha-IM kim-E-AT

   silver chosen of the tongue of a righteous one heart of wicked ones as a little

Exegesis

The second clause reverses this pattern using the construct lēḇ rešaʿîm {לֵ֖ב רְשָׁעִ֣ים | lē-ḇ rĕ-šā-ʿîm} ‘heart of the wicked ones’ followed by the adverbial phrase kimmāṭ {כִּמְעָֽט | kĭ-mā-ṭ̄} ‘as little,’ indicating minimal value. The absence of an explicit conjunction in Hebrew is rendered in English with “but” to signal contrast. The use of the Niphal participle in the first clause emphasizes the elevated status of the righteous person’s speech, while the nominal predicate in the second clause underscores the deficient value in the wicked person’s heart.