| 8. Linguistic Exegesis The verse features parallel participial clauses that convey indefinite agency through nominal expressions. The first hemistich uses koneh {קֹנֶה | qô-nê} ‘acquiring’ with the direct object lev {לֵב | lēv} ‘heart’, followed by ohev {אֹהֵב | ʾō-hêv} ‘loving’ with the pronominal object nap̄šô {נַפְשׁוֹ | nap̄-šô} ‘his soul’. The second hemistich begins with shōmēr {שֹׁמֵר | šō-mēr} ‘guarding’ paired with tevūnāh {תְּבוּנָה | tə-vū-nāh} ‘understanding’, and the infinitive construct lim-ṣōʾ {לִמְצֹא | lim-ṣōʾ} ‘to find’, where the lamed infinitive denotes purpose or result. This chiastic symmetry links internal acquisition (heart, understanding) with positive outcomes (love, finding good), and English translations render these verbless structures with explicit “one who” subjects to maintain the poetic balance. |