| 20. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the particle gam {גַּם | gam} ‘also’ marking contrast. The construct chain le-re’ehu {לְרֵעֵהוּ | lə-rēʾēhû} ‘to his neighbor’ emphasizes relational closeness. The verb yissane {יִשָּׂנֵא | yiśānē} ‘hates’ precedes its subject rash {רָשׁ | rāš} ‘poor man’ in a verbal-subject-object (VSO) order, highlighting habitual hostility. The second clause wə-’ōḥăvē ʿāšîr rabbîm {וְאֹהֲבֵי עָשִׁיר רַבִּים | wə-’ōḥăvē ʿāšîr rabbîm} ‘and lovers of rich man many’ lacks a copula, implying existence and emphasizing abundance. This antithetic parallelism contrasts social rejection of the impoverished with the popularity conferred by wealth. |