| 21. Linguistic Exegesis The prepositional phrase la-chakham-lev {לַחֲכַם־לֵ֭ב | lă-ḥă-ḵǎm-lēv} ‘to the wise of heart’ introduces the beneficiary and sets the theme. The verb yikkārē {יִקָּרֵא | yikkārē} ‘is called’ links to the predicate nāvōn {נָבוֹן | nāvōn} ‘discerning.’ In the parallel second clause, the coordinated noun phrase ū-měteq sefatayim {וּמֶתֶק שְׂפָתַיִם | ū-měteq səp̄āṯayim} ‘and sweetness of lips’ serves as the subject, with yôsîp̄ {יֹסִיף | yôsîp̄} ‘will increase’ governing the object lĕqaḥ {לֶקַח | lĕqaḥ} ‘learning.’ The couplet’s parallelism—first on inner character, then on speech—emphasizes that both discretion in heart and gracious communication yield valuable insight. |