| 19. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with taavah {תַּאֲוָה | taʾāvâh} ‘desire’ as the topic of the first clause, followed by the Niphal perfect nîhyâh {נִהְיָה | nîhyâh} ‘is fulfilled,’ indicating a completed state. The Qal imperfect teʿeráv {תֶּעֱרַב | teʿeráv} ‘is sweet’ serves as a predicate and takes the prepositional phrase lə-nāphēš {לְנָפֶשׁ | lə-nāphēš} ‘to the soul,’ emphasizing internal satisfaction. The adversative vav in wə-toʿăváṯ {וְתוֹעֲבַת | wə-toʿăváṯ} ‘and abomination’ introduces a contrasting clause where kə-sîlîm {כְּסִילִים | kə-sîlîm} ‘fools’ is the subject and the infinitive construct sûr {סוּר | sûr} ‘to turn away’ governs the phrase mê-rāʿ {מֵרָע | mê-rāʿ} ‘from evil.’ This chiastic parallelism underscores how the wise delight in fulfilled longing, whereas fools view moral reorientation as detestable. |