| 20. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the hiphil participle ma‘adeh {מַ֥עֲדֶה | ma‛aˈdeh} ‘one who removes’, which introduces the first simile. It is followed by the noun beged {בֶּ֨גֶד | beˈged} ‘garment’ and the temporal phrase beyom karah {בְּיוֹם קָ֭רָה | bəˈyom qāˈrā} ‘on a cold day’, presenting a vivid image of deprivation. The second simile, chometz al-nater {חֹ֣מֶץ עַל־נָ֑תֶר | ḥōˈmeṣ ʿal nāˈṯer} ‘vinegar upon natron’, evokes a reactive effervescence symbolizing futility. The vav-consecutive vešar {וְשָׁ֥ר | wə-šar} ‘and one who sings’ links to bashirim {בַּ֝שִּׁרִ֗ים | bə-širˈim} ‘songs’, setting up the counterpart action. Finally, the construct chain al lev-ra {עַ֣ל לֶב־רָֽע | ʿal lēv rāʿ} ‘upon a troubled heart’ identifies the recipient of misguided comfort. The Hebrew uses parallelism and asyndeton to maintain a balanced comparison, while the vav-consecutive syntax and the construct phrase inform the English rendering with slight adjustments for readability. |