| 11. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the noun sekhel {שֵׂ֣כֶל | śē·ḵel} ‘discretion’ in construct relation with adam {אָדָם | ʾā·ḏām} ‘man’, forming the possessed subject of the first clause. The Hiphil perfect he’erikh {הֶאֱרִ֣יךְ | hē·ʾĕ·rîḵ} ‘prolongs’ takes appo {אַפּ֑וֹ | ’ă·ppô} ‘his anger’ as its direct object, yielding an idiomatic expression for patient restraint. The adversative conjunction ve- {וְ} introduces the second clause, where tif’arto {וְ֝תִפאַרְתּ֗וֹ | wə·ṯi·p̄a·’ar·tô} ‘his glory’ is fronted for emphasis. This is followed by the Qal infinitive avor {עֲבֹ֣ר | ’a·ḇôr} ‘to pass over’ governed by al-pesha {עַל־פָּֽשַׁע | ʿal-pā·šā‘} ‘over transgression’, forming a purpose-result construction that underscores forgiveness as praiseworthy. The parallel vav-conjoined clauses with mirrored verb-object structures create a deliberate antithesis between prolonged anger and gracious tolerance. The formal translation preserves the Hebrew construct and idiomatic sequence, while the dynamic captures the verse’s pragmatic nuance in natural English. |