| 5. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the Qal participle loeg {לֹעֵג | lōʿēg} ‘mocking’ paired with the Qal participle sameach {שָׂמֵחַ | să-mē-aḥ} ‘rejoicing’ to create a synonymous parallelism. The prepositional phrases larash {לָרָשׁ | lā-rāš} ‘at the poor’ and le’eid {לְאֵיד | lə-’êḏ} ‘at calamity’ introduce the targets of scorn and delight. The perfect verb cheref {חֵרֵף | ḥē-rēp} intensifies the completed act against osehu {עֹשֵׂהוּ | ʿōsēhû} ‘his Maker’. The negative particle lo {לֹא | lō} with the Niphal imperfect yannaqeh {יִנָּקֶה | yinnāqēh} forms a divine passive result clause, indicating inevitable judgment. This structure underscores the moral equivalence of dishonoring the needy and divine retribution. |