| 5. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with an infinitive absolute se'et {שְׂאֵת | səʾêṯ} ‘to show favor’ paired with the Hifil infinitive construct lehatot {לְהַטּוֹת | ləhatːôt} ‘to turn aside’ for emphasis. The construct phrase penei {פְּנֵי־ | pənê-} ‘face’ + rasha {רָשָׁע | rāšaʿ} ‘wicked’ functions idiomatically for judicial partiality. The negation lo tov {לֹא־טֹב | lō ṭôv} ‘not good’ frames both moral and legal disapproval. A parallel antithetic clause uses lehatot tsaddiq {צַדִּיק | ṣaddîq} ‘to pervert the righteous’ and bamishpat {בַּמִּשְׁפָּט | ba-mišpāṭ} ‘in judgment,’ creating a balanced contrast that underscores the prohibition against bias. In the formal translation the infinitives become finite clauses for readability, and in the dynamic the language shifts to contemporary legal idioms while preserving the verse’s emphasis on impartial justice. |