| 15. Linguistic Exegesis The proverb uses chiasmic parallelism framed by the adversative waw. The term peti {פֶּתִי | pĕ-tî} ‘simple’ in the first clause contrasts with arum {עָרוּם | ʿā-rûm} ‘prudent’ in the second, highlighting opposites. The verbs ya’amin {יַאֲמִין | ya-ʾa-mîn} ‘he believes’ and yavin {יָבִין | yā-vîn} ‘he discerns’ are Qal imperfect verbs expressing habitual action. The prepositional phrase le-khol dāvar {לְכָל־דָּבָר | lə-khôl dā-vâr} ‘to every word’ opposes le-ʾa-shū-rô {לַאֲשֻׁרוֹ | la-ʾă-shū-rô} ‘to his step’, marking the shift from uncritical acceptance to examined conduct. The conjunction wə {וְ | wə} signals the adversative relation, reinforcing the call for prudence. |