| 13. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the prefixed conjunction-negation velo {וְלֹא | wə-lōʾ} ‘and not’, establishing a decisive refusal in parallel clauses. The verb šāmaˁtî {שָׁמַעְתִּי | šā-ˁa-maʕ-tî} ‘I listened’ in the perfect marks a completed yet unfulfilled action. This is followed by the construct be-qōl môrây {בְּקוֹל מוֹרָי | bə-qōl mō-rāy} ‘to the voice of my teachers’, highlighting direct address to one’s mentors. A second clause mirrors this structure with wə-lo limlamdai {וְלֹא לִמְלַמְּדַי | wə-lōʾ lim-məl-mə-dāy} ‘and not to my instructors’, preceding the Hifil perfect hittîtî {הִטִּיתִי | hit-tî-tî} ‘I inclined’. The noun ʾōznî {אָזְנִי | ʾōz-nî} ‘my ear’ personalizes the admission. The chiastic pairing of verbs and objects creates balanced parallelism that intensifies the expression of willful neglect. |