| 20. Linguistic Exegesis The first clause is a verbless existential statement marked by fronting otzar {אוֹצָר | ʾōṣār} ‘treasure’ and nekhmad {נֶחְמָד | neḥmād} ‘desirable’ with va-shemen {וָשֶׁמֶן | wā-še·mên} ‘and oil’ in apposition. The construct chain bineveh chakham {בִּנְוֵה חָכָם | bi-nwê ḥākām} ‘in the dwelling of the wise’ specifies location. The second clause begins with the adversative u-kesil adam {וּכְסִיל אָדָם | ū-ḵə-sîl ʾā-dām} ‘but a fool’ as subject, followed by yevalle'enu {יְבַלְּעֶנּוּ | yə-bal·lə‛-nû} ‘he will devour it’, a Piel imperfect expressing complete or habitual consumption. The parallel pairing of “treasure” and “oil” contrasted with the fool’s action underscores prudent stewardship versus reckless dissipation. English renders the existential sense with “are stored” and uses “wastes” to capture the strength of the Hebrew verb. |