| 23. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the Hiphil participle mochiakh {מ֘וֹכִ֤יחַ | mō-kî-ăḥ} ‘one who reproves’, functioning as a verbal noun and subject. The noun adam {אָדָ֣ם | ʾā-dām} ‘man’ follows as its direct object. The prepositional adverbial acharai {אַ֭חֲרַי | ă-ḥă-rāy} ‘afterward’ introduces a result clause marked by the object-verb sequence chen yimtsa {חֵ֣ן יִמְצָ֑א | ḥên yim-ṣāʾ} ‘favor will find’, emphasizing the outcome through object-verb order. The comparative clause uses the preposition min embedded in mimachaliq {מִֽמַּחֲלִ֥יק | mim-mă-ḥă-lîq} ‘flatterer’ and the noun lashon {לָשֽׁוֹן | lā-šôn} ‘tongue’, creating a rhetorical contrast. English renders this as ‘more … than …’ to reflect the Hebrew comparative structure while maintaining clarity. |