| 34. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the conditional conjunction im {אִם־ | ʾim} emphasizing contrast. The prepositional phrase la-latsim {לַלֵּצִים | la-lê-ṣîm} ‘to the mockers’ precedes the pronoun hu {הֽוּא־ | hūʾ} and the verb ya-lits {יָלִץ | yā-lîṣ} ‘mocks’, forming the protasis. Two parallel prepositional phrases, u-le-anayim {ולעניים | wə-lə-ʿă-nā-yim} ‘and to the afflicted’ and ve-la-anavim {וְלַעֲנָוִים | wə-lā-ʿă-nā-vîm} ‘and to the humble’, establish an inclusive contrast. The Qal imperfect yit-ten-khen {יִתֶּן־חֵֽן | yit-ten-ḥên} ‘gives favor’ functions as the apodosis. The balanced structure underscores divine disdain for pride and grace toward humility. |