| 16. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the preposition bi {בִּי | bî} ‘by me’, marking Wisdom as the instrumental source of authority. It follows verb–subject order with yasoru {יָשֹׂרוּ | yā-śō-rū} ‘govern’ and its subject sarim {שָׂרִים | śārîm} ‘princes’, emphasizing the empowerment bestowed. The conjunction u-ndivim {וּנְדִיבִים | u-nᵉ-dî-vîm} ‘and nobles’ introduces a parallel leadership class. The construct expression kol-shoptei {כָּל־שֹׁפְטֵי | kol-šō-p̄ə-ṯê} ‘all judges of’ links directly to tsedek {צֶדֶק | ṣê-ḏeq} ‘justice’, highlighting that these judges exercise their authority in right order and underscoring the moral dimension of righteous leadership. |