| 23. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with shokhad {שֹׁ֣חַד | šō-khaḏ} ‘bribe’ followed by the prepositional phrase me-kheyk {מֵ֭חֵיק | mē-ḥêyk} ‘from the bosom’, conveying clandestine offering. The fronted noun rasha {רָשָׁ֣ע | rā-šāʿ} ‘wicked’ places the moral agent in focus, and the Qal imperfect yikakh {יִקָּ֑ח | yiqqāḥ} ‘he takes’ indicates ongoing action. The infinitive le-hattot {לְ֝הַטּ֗וֹת | lə-ḥattôṯ} ‘to pervert’ introduces purpose, governing the construct chain orkhot mishpat {אָרְחוֹת מִשְׁפָּֽט | ʾorḥôṯ miš-pāṭ} ‘paths of justice’, emphasizing deliberate distortion of legal norms. This structure highlights a cause-and-effect progression: illicit reception leads directly to the twisting of judicial processes. |