| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the prepositional phrase leta’avah {לְֽ֭תַאֲוָה | lə-ṯăʼăwâh} ‘for desire,’ which functions as an adverbial motive. The verb yevakesh {יְבַקֵּשׁ | yĕ-vak-ḵêš} in Piel imperfect introduces the subject, with the subsequent participle nifrad {נִפְרָד | nîp̄-rāḏ} supplying a reflexive nuance of self-isolation. The compound noun phrase bekhol-tushiyyah {בְּכָל־תּ֝וּשִׁיָּ֗ה | bə-ḵōl-tûššîyyāh} serves as an adversative complement ‘against all sound wisdom,’ and the Hitpael verb yitgalla {יִתְגַּלָּֽע | yiṯ-gallāʿ} marks an intensive, resultive action ‘breaks out.’ In English, rendering the participle as a finite clause ‘isolates himself’ preserves agency, and positioning the adverbial phrase early maintains the Hebrew emphasis on motive. |