| 24. Linguistic Exegesis The proverb consists of two parallel nominal clauses joined by a contrasting particle (while). The first clause employs a construct chain where ateret {עֲטֶרֶת | ʿă-te-ret} 'crown' connects to chakamim {חֲכָמִים | ḥa-cha-mim} 'wise' and is completed by oshram {עָשְׁרָם | ʿā-šer-ām} 'their wealth', portraying wealth as an emblem of honor. The second clause frames kesilim {כְּסִילִים | kə-si-lim} 'fools' with ivvelet {אִוֶּלֶת | ʾī-ve-let} 'folly' in a chiastic pattern that emphasizes the self-defining nature of folly. The mirrored structure and repetition are preserved in English through balanced syntax and key term placement to maintain rhetorical impact. |