| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the comparative adjective tov {טוֹב | tōv} ‘better,’ which predicates the first term in a comparison. The noun rash {רָשׁ | rāš} ‘poor’ appears with the participle holekh {הוֹלֵךְ | hôlêḵ} ‘walking,’ forming a participial clause that specifies the subject’s conduct. The prepositional phrase betummo {בְּתֻמּוֹ | bə-tummō} ‘in his integrity’ qualifies the manner of walking and highlights the quality tom {תּוֹם | tōm} ‘integrity.’ The comparative relationship is marked by the preposition mē {מֵ} prefixed to the Hiphil participle meiqesh {מֵעִקֵּשׁ | mē‘iqqēš} ‘twisting,’ which introduces the second member of the comparison. This participle modifies an implied subject whose locus of distortion is designated by the construct noun sephataiv {שְׂפָתָיו | šəp̄atāyw} ‘lips.’ The verse concludes with wehu {וְה֣וּא | wə-hûʾ} ‘and he’ plus the noun kesil {כְסִיל | kesîl} ‘fool,’ creating a parallel structure that contrasts upright conduct with corrupted speech. |