| 29. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the construct ish {אִישׁ | ʾîš} ‘man’ specified by chamas {חָמָס | ḥāmās} ‘violence’, forming a subject phrase ‘violent man’. The intensified Piel verb yepatteh {יְפַתֶּה | yə-pattēh} ‘entices’ introduces intentional seduction of reehu {רֵעֵ֑הוּ | rē-ʿê-hû} ‘his neighbor’. The conjunction and verb veholikhu {וְ֝הוֹלִיכ֗וֹ | wə-hō-lî-khû} ‘and he leads him’ shifts from entice to active guidance. Finally, the prepositional phrase bederekh lo-tov {בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ לֹא־טֽוֹב | bə-ḏe-reḵ lō-ṭôv} ‘in a way not good’ frames the moral outcome. This sequential progression from subject to paired verbs to adverbial result emphasizes the deliberate misdirection of the violent person. |