| 20. Linguistic Exegesis The proverb opens with ken {כֵּן | kên} “thus,” marking a proverbial statement. The construct derekh ishah {דֶּרֶךְ אִשָּׁה | dereḵ iššâ} “way of a woman” sets the topic, modified by the Piel participle mena’efet {מְנָאָפֶת | menā’p̄eṯ} to indicate ongoing adultery. The sequence of perfect verbs akhla … umachatah … ve’amrah {אָכְלָה … וּמָחֲתָה … וְאָמְרָה | ʾāklâ … ū-maḥaṯâ … wə-’āmrâ}, linked by the waw consecutive, portrays characteristic actions in swift progression. The negated clause lo fa’alti aven {לֹא־פָעַלְתִּי אָוֶן | lōʾ pā‘alti āwen} expresses direct denial in first person. The shift from third-person narrative to first-person speech heightens dramatic irony, while the asyndetic verb chain underscores habitual deceit. |