| 30. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with peri tsaddiq {פְּרִי־צַדִּיק | pə-rî ṣad-dîq} ‘fruit of the righteous’, a construct chain linking outcome to its producer. This parallels etz chayyim {עֵץ חַיִּים | ʿêṣ ḥay-yîm} ‘tree of life’, a metaphor for sustaining vitality. The conjunction vav introduces the second clause with ve-lokeach {וְלֹקֵחַ | wə-lō-qē-aḥ} ‘and one who takes’, a Qal active participle governing nefashot {נְפָשׂוֹת | nə-p̄ā-śōṯ} ‘souls’, indicating that whoever draws in people demonstrates insight. The adjective chakam {חָכָם | ḥā-kām} predicates wisdom of that subject. Hebrew parallelism underscores moral causality—righteous action yields life and effective influence signifies wisdom—and is rendered in English with balanced parallel structure. |