| 20. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the adjective-noun construct iqesh-lev {עִקֶּשׁ־לֵב | ʿîqēš-lēv} ‘twisted-of-heart’, indicating internal moral distortion. The negative particle lo {לֹא | lōʾ} ‘not’ negates the verb yimṣāʾ-ṭōv {יִמְצָא־טוֹב | yimṣāʾ-ṭōv} ‘will-find-good’, emphatically excluding any prospect of goodness. The prefix wə- on the participle nĕhp̄āk {וְנֶהְפָּךְ | wə-nĕhp̄āk} ‘and-turned’ introduces the second clause. The prepositional phrase bilšônô {בִּלְשׁוֹנוֹ | bilšônô} ‘with-his-tongue’ specifies the instrument of misrepresentation. The verb yippōl {יִפּוֹל | yippōl} ‘will-fall’ governs the prepositional object bə-rāʿā {בְּרָעָה | bə-rāʿā} ‘into-evil’, forming a result clause. This parallelism between inward disposition (heart) and outward expression (tongue) uses Hebrew poetic balance, which the English renders with coordinating conjunctions to preserve the rhetorical force and rhythm. |