| 24. Linguistic Exegesis The proverb begins with ish {אִ֣ישׁ | ʾîš} indicating a person in construct with re'im {רֵ֭עִים | rêˀîm}, producing the idiom “man of friends.” The hitpael infinitive lehitro'e'a {לְהִתְרֹעֵ֑עַ | lə-hit-rō-ˀê-ʿa} introduces a potential adverse outcome. The coordinating conjunction veyesh {וְיֵ֥שׁ | wə-yêš} links to the contrasting clause with the participles ohev {אֹ֝הֵ֗ב | ’ô-hēḇ} and davek {דָּבֵ֥ק | dā-ḇêq}, forming “one who loves” and “clinging,” respectively. The comparative phrase me'ach {מֵאָֽח | me-ʾāḥ} “than brother” highlights the surpassing intimacy. Hebrew parallelism sets an antithesis between superficial association and steadfast attachment; this is rendered in English as a compound sentence preserving both contrast and concision. |