| 4. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the construct phrase rum-einayim {רוּם־עֵינַיִם | rūm-ʿê-nāyim} ‘haughty eyes,’ where the adjective rum {רוּם | rūm} precedes the dual noun einayim {עֵינַיִם | ʿê-nāyim} to depict arrogance. The conjunction u {וּ | wū} connects to the parallel construct rekhav-lev {רְחַב-לֵב | re-ḥăḇ-lēḇ} ‘broad heart,’ emphasizing an expansive self-view. Finally, the nominal clause nir resha’im chattat {נִר רְשָׁעִים חַטָּאת | nîr re-shāʿ-îm khaṭ-ṭāʾt} ‘the lamp of the wicked is sin’ forms a subject–predicate relationship that equates the influence of the wicked to moral failure. Hebrew parallelism between inner disposition and the wicked’s emblem amplifies the moral contrast, and the absence of a verb in the opening phrases foregrounds their definitive status. |