Striking the Depths: Object Concord and Parallel Syntax in Proverbs 20:30

חַבֻּרֹ֣ות פֶּ֭צַע תמריק בְּרָ֑ע וּ֝מַכֹּ֗ות חַדְרֵי־בָֽטֶן׃

Proverbs 20:30 is not merely a proverb about discipline—it is a poetic microcosm of how Biblical Hebrew uses parallelism and object syntax to create emphasis. The verse reads literally:

“Bruises of a wound cleanse in evil; and blows [cleanse] the inner chambers of the belly.”

This puzzling phrasing contains a grammatical and poetic tension: a verb that seems to float without a second subject, and parallel objects that mirror each other. At the heart of this proverb lies a Hebrew verb with a peculiar object pattern: תמריק (you will cleanse / it will cleanse), and how Hebrew poetry frequently omits verbs in parallelism while preserving syntactic expectation.

Word-by-Word Morphology

1. חַבֻּרֹ֣ות (ḥabburōt) –
   Root: ח־ב־ר;
   Form: feminine plural noun (construct);
   Translation: “bruises”;
   Notes: Likely refers to bruises as signs of physical punishment or injury.
2. פֶּ֭צַע (peṣaʿ) –
   Root: פ־צ־ע;
   Form: masculine singular noun (construct or apposition);
   Translation: “a wound”;
   Notes: Can be understood as appositional: “bruises—[that are] wounds.”
3. תמריק (tamrīq) –
   Root: מ־ר־ק;
   Form: Hifil imperfect 3fs or 2ms;
   Translation: “it will cleanse” or “you will cleanse”;
   Notes: Verb agrees with חַבֻּרוֹת (feminine plural subject), giving sense: “bruises cleanse…”
4. בְּרָ֑ע (bərāʿ) –
   Root: ר־ע־ע;
   Form: preposition + masculine noun;
   Translation: “in evil” or “from evil”;
   Notes: Interpretations vary; likely refers to moral corruption.
5. וּמַכֹּ֗ות (ūmakkōt) –
   Root: נ־כ־ה;
   Form: feminine plural noun with conjunction;
   Translation: “and blows”;
   Notes: Parallel subject to חַבֻּרוֹת, forming the second line of the parallelism.
6. חַדְרֵי־בָֽטֶן (ḥadrê-vāṭen) –
   Root: ח־ד־ר and ב־ט־ן;
   Form: construct plural + singular noun;
   Translation: “the inner chambers of the belly”;
   Notes: Metaphorical for the inner self or conscience.

Poetic Syntax: One Verb, Two Clauses

Notice that תמריק appears only once in the verse, yet it governs two lines:

• Bruises of a wound cleanse in evil
• And blows [cleanse] the inner chambers of the belly

This is an example of **gapping** in Hebrew poetry—a technique where a verb is stated once and understood to apply to multiple parallel clauses. It is a form of syntactic economy, allowing the parallel structure to shine while requiring the reader to supply the implied repetition.

Semantic Power: Cleansing through Pain

Here, grammar reinforces meaning. The omitted verb suggests continuity: the same cleansing action works on both moral corruption and inner depth. Physical discipline is not cruelty—it is correction. The syntax, like the proverb, is blunt yet precise.

When Grammar Becomes Correction

The poet of Proverbs 20:30 does not waste words. One verb—תמריק—is enough to shake two lines into motion. Through poetic omission and parallelism, the verse drives home a universal principle: that pain can purge, that discipline can delve deep. Just as the blows reach the belly’s innermost chambers, so grammar reaches into the hidden structure of meaning.

In the architecture of Hebrew, even silence is a form of speech.