| 20. Linguistic Exegesis The verse features synonymous parallelism in two hemistichs, pairing the relentless appetite of the underworld with human desire. In the first, the coordinated subjects sheol {שְׁאוֹל | šêʾôl} ‘underworld realm’ and abaddon {אֲבַדּוֹ | ’ă-bad-dôʾn} ‘destruction place’ share the negative predicate lo {לֹא | lōʾ} ‘not’ plus the Qal imperfect tiśbannâ {תִשְׂבַּעְנָה | tiś-bāʿ-nāʾ} ‘are satisfied,’ emphasizing unending consumption. The second line mirrors this with the dual construct êynêy hā’āḏām {עֵינֵי הָאָדָם | ’ê-nêy hā-’ā-dām} ‘eyes of the man’ taking the same predicate, creating a chiastic structure that underscores insatiability. The dual form in êynêy evokes the Hebrew idiom for desire, preserved in English through “eyes.” |