| 16. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the interrogative particle lammah {לָמָּה | lā-mah} ‘why’ and the demonstrative zeh {זֶּה | zeh} ‘this’, forming a rhetorical question. The noun mekhir {מְחִיר | mə-ḥîr} ‘price’ forms a construct chain with beyad {בְּיַד | bə-yaḏ} ‘in the hand of’, linked to kesil {כְּסִיל | kə-sîl} ‘fool’. The infinitive construct liknot {לִקְנוֹת | liq-nôṯ} ‘to acquire’ introduces a purpose clause with chokhmah {חָכְמָה | ḥākh-māh} ‘wisdom’ as its object. The conjunction ve- {וְ} coordinates velev {וְלֶב | wə-leḇ} ‘and heart’ with the negative existential ayin {אָֽיִן | ’ā-yîn} ‘there is not’, signaling absence of inner capacity. This sequence (interrogative + construct chain + infinitive purpose + coordinated negation) underscores the ironic contrast between external means and missing inner faculty. |