| 15. Linguistic Exegesis The verse consists of two parallel clauses linked by the conjunction ve {וְ}. The first clause opens with the prepositional construct beorekh appayim {בְּאֹרֶךְ אַפַּיִם | bə-’ō-rēkh ap-pă-yim} ‘in length of anger,’ an idiom denoting patient restraint. The Nifal imperfect yefutteh {יְפֻתֶּה | yə-fut-teh} ‘he is persuaded’ functions as a passive upon the subject katsin {קָצִין | kā-ṣîn} ‘ruler.’ In the second clause velashon rakkah {וְלָשׁוֹן רַכָּה | və-lā-šōn ra-kā́} ‘and a soft tongue’ serves as the feminine subject of the Qal imperfect tishbar {תִּשְׁבָּר | tiš-bár} ‘will break,’ with garem {גָּרֶם | gá-rēm} ‘bone’ as its direct object. The maqqef linking tishbar-garem underscores the unity of the breaking action while the parallelism contrasts subtle persuasion with latent force. |