| 16. Linguistic Exegesis adam {אָדָם | ʾā-dām} ‘man’ introduces the generic subject and is immediately followed by the participle to'eh {תּוֹעֶה | tô-ʿêh} ‘straying’, which underscores deliberate departure. The construct phrase mi derekh ha-sekel {מִ דֶּרֶךְ הַשְׂכֵּל | mi de-rekh ha-səḵēl} ‘from the way of understanding’ frames wisdom as a navigable path. The locative bikhal refa'im {בִּקְהַל רְפָאִים | bi-khāl re-p̄ā-ʾīm} ‘in the assembly of the dead’ marks inclusion among the spiritually departed. The imperfect verbal form yanuah {יָנֽוּחַ | yā-nū-āḥ} ‘will rest’ designates the resulting state of deviation. The close ordering of the participle after adam emphasizes the cause-and-effect dynamic between straying and ultimate demise. |