| 21. Linguistic Exegesis The verse consists of two parallel participial clauses. The first clause begins with baz-le-rēʕehû {בָּז־לְרֵעֵהוּ | bāz-lə-rē-ʕê-hû} ‘despising his neighbor,’ a qal active participle with pronominal suffix conveying ongoing disdain. The second clause is introduced by the adversative vav and mechonen {מְחוֹנֵן | mə-ḥō-nēn} ‘showing kindness,’ a piel active participle signifying gracious action, taking ʿănāvîm {עֲנָוִים | ʿănāvîm} ‘the humble’ as its direct object in the absolute plural to indicate vulnerable recipients. The final suffix formula ʾašrāyû {אַשְׁרָיו | ʾăš-rā-yû} ‘happy is he’ pronounces the blessing. In translation, the Hebrew participles are rendered as finite clauses to preserve aspectual nuance, and the adversative vav is rendered as “but” to maintain contrast. The placement of the blessing at the end retains the original emphasis on reward. |