| 9. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the noun lev {לֵב | lēḇ} “heart” as thematic subject followed by the genitive adam {אָדָם | ʾāḏām} “man.” The piel imperfect yeḥaššēv {יְחַשֵּׁב | yeḥaššēḇ} “plans” conveys human intention directed at darkō {דַרְכּוֹ | darkō} “his way.” The prefixed vav in va-Yahweh {וַיְהוָה | wə-hō-wāh} signals an adversative clause introduced by “but.” The hiphil imperfect yāḵin {יָכִין | yāḵin} “establishes” expresses divine causation regarding tza’ado {צַעֲדוֹ | ṣaʿăḏō} “his steps.” The contrast between human planning and divine sovereignty is marked by the conjunction and the Hebrew parallelism. |