| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with a nominal subject introduced by ish {אִישׁ | ʾîš} ‘person’ modified by a Piel participle clause maksheh-oref {מַקְשֶׁה־עֹרֶף | maq-šé-h ʿō-réf} ‘stiffens neck’, linked by the maqqef to convey resolute resistance. This protasis is specified by the plural noun tokhachot {תּוֹכָחוֹת | tō-ḵā-ḥōṯ} ‘rebukes’, establishing a condition of repeated correction. The apodosis features the adverb peta {פֶּתַע | pè-ṭaʿ} ‘suddenly’ immediately before the Niphal imperfect yishshaver {יִשָּׁבֵר | yiš-šā-vēr} ‘will be broken’, heightening the abruptness of the judgment. The coordinate clause ve-ein marpe {וְאֵין מַרְפֵּא | wə-ʾên mar-pê} ‘and there is no remedy’ employs a negative existential construction to underscore the irrevocability of the consequence. The overall protasis–apodosis pattern reflects a common Hebrew proverb structure that couples a warning with its inevitable outcome. |