| 21. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the Piel participle mefanneq {מְפַנֵּק | mə·phăn·nēq} ‘one who pampers’, functioning as the subject indicating habitual indulgence. This is modified by the prepositional phrase minno‘ar {מִנֹּעַר | mî·nō·ʿar} ‘from youth’, attached to avdo {עַבְדּוֹ | ʿă·vĕḏ·ô} ‘servant’ in construct specifying the beneficiary and temporal origin. The conjunction veacharito {וְ֝אַחֲרִיתוֹ | wə·’ă·ḥă·rî·ṯô} ‘and his end’ introduces the apodosis, and the imperfect verb yihyeh {יִהְיֶ֥ה | yi·hî·yêh} ‘he will be’ signals the consequent result, followed by the predicate noun manon {מָנֽוֹן | mā·nôn} ‘rival’. This protasis–apodosis structure presents cause and effect; English renderings shift phrase order for clarity while preserving the causal link and the ironic reversal of roles. |