| 15. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with a predicate nominal where the adjective yekarah {יְקָרָה | yə-qā-rāh} ‘precious’ functions as subject complement to the pronoun hî {הִיא | hīʼ} ‘she’. The comparative phrase min-pĕnīnīm {מִּפְּנִינִים | min-pə-nī-nīm} ‘than pearls’ sets the standard. The construct chain wə-kōl-ḥăp̄āṣēḵā {וְכָל־חֲפָצֶיךָ | wə-kōl-ḥă-pha-ṣe-ḵā} ‘and all your desires’ conveys possession. The negative imperfect lōʼ yiš-wū {לֹא יִשְׁווּ | lōʼ yiš-wū} ‘they cannot compare’, and the suffix bāh {בָּהּ | bāh} ‘with her’ completes the clause. Hebrew syntax positions the negated verb phrase at the end for emphatic force. In translation, maintaining the predicate nominal order and comparative structure preserves rhetorical emphasis, while rendering the imperfect as “cannot” communicates the enduring nature of the comparison. |