| 11. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with hon {הוֹן | hôn} ‘wealth’ in construct with ashir {עָשִׁיר | ʿāšîr} ‘rich man’, yielding “the rich man’s wealth.” The construct kiryat {קִרְיַת | qiryāṯ} ‘city-of’ + uzzo {עֻזּוֹ | ʿuzzô} ‘his strength’ depicts wealth as a personal stronghold. The conjunction–preposition u-khe-chomah {וּכְחוֹמָה | u-kḥōmāh} introduces a simile (“and like a wall”), with the Niphal participle nissgavāh {נִשְׂגָּבָה | nissgavāh} ‘stands high’ emphasizing inaccessibility. The prepositional phrase be-masqitô {בְּמַשְׂכִּיתוֹ | bəmaskīṯô} ‘in his imagination’ shifts focus to subjective perception. This sequential structure mirrors the Hebrew word order and reinforces the metaphor of wealth as both security and psychological refuge. |