| 21. Linguistic Exegesis Proverbs 26:21 employs a parallel simile pairing pecham {פֶּחָם | pē-ḥām} ‘charcoal’ with gechālîm {גֶחָלִים | ge-ḥā-lîm} ‘burning coals’ and etsim {עֵצִים | ʿê-ṣîm} ‘wood’ with ēsh {אֵשׁ | ʾêš} ‘fire’. Each equative clause uses the lative preposition le {לְ | lə} to mark function or result, while the conjunction ve {וְ | wə} links cause and effect. The final clause aligns ish mĕdōnîm {אִישׁ מְדֹנִים | ʾîš mə-dō-nîm} ‘contentious man’ with the fuel images, followed by the Piel infinitive construct lə-ḥar-ḥar-rîb {לְחַרְחַר־רִיב | lə-ḥar-ḥar-rîb} ‘to kindle strife,’ where the maqqef binds verb and object into a purpose clause. This framing (A–lə–B and C–lə–D—so E—lə–F) emphasizes the inevitability of conflict when antagonistic behavior acts like combustible material. |