| 23. Linguistic Exegesis The verse employs antithetical parallelism in two balanced clauses. The first clause consists of adam {אָדָם | ʾā-ḏam} ‘man’ modified by arum {עָרוּם | ʿā-rûm} ‘prudent’, followed by the participial predicate koseh {כֹּסֶה | kō-sê} ‘conceals’ with da‘at {דָּעַת | dā-‘at} ‘knowledge’ as its object, conveying ongoing discretion. The second clause begins with the prefixed conjunction in ve-lev {וְלֵב | wə-lēḇ} ‘and heart’ to introduce contrast, attaching kesilim {כְּסִילִים | ka-sî-lîm} ‘fools’ as genitive subject, then the imperfect verb yikra {יִקְרָא | yiq-rāʼ} ‘proclaims’ with ivvelet {אִוֶּלֶת | ʾiv-ve-leṯ} ‘foolishness’ as object, depicting habitual exposure. The shift from participle to imperfect highlights the contrast between disciplined concealment and impulsive confession, while the focal position of “heart” underscores inner disposition. |