| 11. Linguistic Exegesis The proverb is structured in parallel chiastic form, beginning with the comparative preposition kaf {כְּ | kə} ‘as’. The first clause pairs the noun kekeleb {כְּכֶלֶב | kəḵelēḇ} ‘dog’ with the participle šāḇ {שָׁב | šāḇ} ‘returns’, and the second pairs kesil {כְּסִיל | ḵəśîl} ‘fool’ with šōnēh {שׁוֹנֶה | šōnēh} ‘repeats’. Their objects—qēʾō {קֵאוֹ | qēʾō} ‘vomit’ governed by al {עַל | ʿal} ‘upon’, and ivvalto {אִוַּלְתּוֹ | ʾivvalᵗō} ‘folly’ governed by be {בְּ | bə} ‘in’—delineate the physical versus moral spheres. The chiastic reversal and repeated action emphasize the inescapable cycle of self-defeating behavior. |