| 15. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with a simile using ari {אֲרִי | ʾă-rî} ‘lion’ linked by maqqef to nohem {נֹהֵם | nō-hêm} ‘roaring,’ and dov {דֹּב | ḏōwḇ} paired with shoqeq {שׁוֹקֵק | šō-qēq} ‘ranging,’ forming parallel nominal clauses. The Qal active participles nohem and shoqeq express continuous predatory threat. In the main clause the noun moshel {מֹשֵׁל | mō-šēl} ‘one who rules’ is modified by the adjective rasha {רָשָׁע | rā-šāʿ} ‘wicked,’ conveying moral judgment. The prepositional phrase al ʿam-dāl {עַל עַם־דָּל | ʿal ʿam-dāl} ‘over poor people’ marks the target of oppression. Hebrew synonymous parallelism and vivid imagery are preserved by retaining the paired simile structure and word order to maintain emphatic effect. |