| 11. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the emphatic adverb akh {אַךְ | ʾăḵ} framing inevitability. The noun ra {רָע | rā‘} functions as a substantive modifier for the subject, “evil person,” followed by the verb yevakesh {יְבַקֶּשׁ | yəvaqqēš} governing the object merî {מְרִי | mĕrî}. The conjunction ū {וּ | ū} introduces a parallel clause with the noun–adjective pair mālā’kh ʾakẖzārî {מַלְאָךְ אַכְזָרִי | mālā’ḵ ʾakẖzārî}, preserving Hebrew word order. The passive yeshullach-bo {יְשֻׁלַּח־בּוֹ | yəšullāḥ-bō} expresses judicial dispatch “will be sent against him.” This structure sets up a cause–effect parallelism between human perversity and divine retribution. |