Proverbs 23:35 — ExegesisTAB

The verse presents four coordinated clauses that portray the speaker’s dulled condition. The first pair uses the hifil perfect verbs hikuni {הִכּ֥וּנִי | hiḵkûnî} ‘they struck me’ and halamuni {הֲלָמ֗וּנִי | hălāmûnî} ‘they beat me’ framed by the negative particle bal {בַל | bāl} and the perfect-state verbs chaliti {חָלִיתִי | ḥālitî} and yadati {יָ֫דָ֥עְתִּי | yāḏa‘tî}, forming a chiastic contrast between physical assault and lack of sensation. The interrogative adverb matai {מָתַ֥י | māṯay} ‘when?’ introduces a temporal question with the qal imperfect aqitz {אָקִ֑יץ | ʾāqîṣ}, creating a rhetorical pause. The sequential imperfects osif {אוֹסִ֗יף | ʾôsîp̄} and avakshenu {אֲבַקְשֶׁ֥נּוּ | ʾăvaqše­nû} then express the speaker’s repeated volition, underscoring the cyclical compulsion. Hebrew parallelism and verb aspects highlight the stubborn cycle of intoxication and obliviousness.