| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the existential particle yesh {יֵ֤שׁ | yēš} ‘there is’, which introduces a general truth. The nominal clause derekh yashar lifnei ish establishes ‘a way upright before a man,’ where adjective-noun word order and the prepositional phrase lifnei ish highlight subjective perception. The conjunction ve {וְ | wə} ‘but’ signals contrast and attaches to acharitah {אַחֲרִיתָהּ | ʼăḥărîtāh} ‘its end,’ with the feminine suffix referring back to derekh. The construct chain darkhei mavet combines plural construct and absolute noun to produce ‘ways of death,’ intensifying the dire consequence. In translation, the existential yesh is rendered with a modal nuance to convey caution, and darkhei mavet is rendered as a singular ‘road to death’ (formal) and a result clause ‘leads to death’ (dynamic). |