Proverbs 10:20 — ExegesisTAB

Proverbs 10:20 presents a parallel antithetical structure where the construct phrase lešōn ṣaddîq {לְשׁ֣וֹן צַדִּ֑יק | lĕ-šōn ṣaḏ-dîq} ‘tongue of the righteous one’ serves as the subject of the first clause, with keseph nivḥar {כֶּ֣סֶף נִ֭בְחָר | kĕ-sĕ-p̄ nĭv-ḥā-r} ‘choice silver’ as predicate complement. 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.