Proverbs 21:26ExegesisTAB

Proverbs 21 : 26 Desire | Generosity | Contrast
26. Linguistic Exegesis
The proverb sets up a moral contrast by pairing unrestrained desire with ongoing generosity. The temporal idiom kol ha-yom {כָּל־הַיּוֹם | kâl ha-yōm} “all day long” frames hit’avvah {הִתְאַוָּה | hit-ʼa-wāh} “he craves” alongside ta’avah {תַאֲוָה | ta-ʼă-wāh} “desire.” The adversative vav {וְ | wə} introduces tsaddiq {צַדִּיק | ṣaddîq} “a righteous one.” The imperfect yitten {יִתֵּן | yittên} “he gives” denotes habitual giving, while ve-lo yachsoch {וְלֹא יַחְשֹׂךְ | wə-lōʾ yaḥ-sôḵ} “and does not withhold” completes the chiastic parallelism and preserves the adversative contrast in English through a but-clause.

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