| 8. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the composite comparative phrase tov-meʿat bitsedakah {טוֹב־מְ֭עַט בִּצְדָקָ֑ה | tōv-meʿaṭ biṣdāqāh} ‘better a little with righteousness’, where the maqqef links adjective and noun in a single qualitative unit. The clause merov tevuot {מֵרֹ֥ב תְּ֝בוּא֗וֹת | mēroḇ tevû’ōṯ} ‘than abundance of harvests’ uses the preposition min with a plural noun to express contrast. The concluding phrase belo mishpat {בְּלֹא מִשְׁפָּֽט | bəloʾ mišpāṭ} ‘without justice’ functions as a concessive modifier of the preceding abundance. The antithetical parallelism between bitsedakah and mishpat underscores the moral preference of integrity over material gain, preserved in the English by parallel prepositional structures. |