| 5. Linguistic Exegesis The proverb employs synonymous parallelism with two coordinated clauses. The first clause begins with ed {עֵד | ʿêd} ‘witness’ followed by sheqarim {שְׁקָרִים | šəqārîm} ‘lies,’ forming a construct chain that highlights false testimony. The negative particle lo {לֹא | lô} ‘not’ negates the Nifal imperfect yinnāqeh {יִנָּקֶה | yinnāqeh} ‘go unpunished,’ indicating the subject cannot be declared clean. The vav-consecutive on ve-yāphîaḥ {וְיָפִיחַ | wə-yāphîaḥ} ‘and speaks forth’ shifts to the second clause, which takes kə-zāvîm {כְּזָבִים | kə-zāvîm} ‘lies’ as its object. The parallel lo yimmāleṭ {לֹא יִמָּלֵֽט | lô yimmāleṭ} ‘will not escape’ mirrors the first clause, reinforcing inevitable accountability. This structure preserves the Hebrew emphasis on judgment against both false witnesses and slanderers. |