| 7. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the imperative lekh {לֵ֣ךְ | lēk} ‘go’, commanding removal, followed by the prepositional phrase min-nē-ged {מִנֶּגֶד | min-nē-ged} ‘from before’, which indicates distancing in both space and social relation. The object lə-’îš kə-sîl {לְאִישׁ כְּסִיל | lə-’îš kə-sîl} ‘to a foolish man’ identifies the undesirable companion. The conjunction wə-bal {וּבַל־ | wə-bal} ‘and not, lest’ plus the perfect yā-ḏa‘ṯā {יָדַעְתָּ | yā-ḏa‘ṯā} ‘you have known’ introduces a negative conditional clause. Finally, the construct śi-p̄ə-ṯê dā-‘āṯ {שִׂפְתֵי־דָעַת | śi-p̄ə-ṯê dā-‘āṯ} ‘lips of knowledge’ uses a part-for-whole metonymy for wise speech. English translations preserve the Hebrew’s warning structure by linking the command and the conditional, and the dynamic version clarifies the abstract image of lips as “speech.” |