אֶֽבֶן־חֵ֣ן הַ֭שֹּׁחַד בְּעֵינֵ֣י בְעָלָ֑יו אֶֽל־כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֖ר יִפְנֶ֣ה יַשְׂכִּֽיל׃ (Proverbs 17:8)
Structure in the Shadows: A Proverb of Influence
This proverb operates on two levels: it describes a corrupt practice (the bribe) and expresses a cynical wisdom about its perceived success. The syntax—compact, poetic, suggestive—is a fitting vehicle for such layered meaning. Through parallel constructions, prepositional framing, and a tightly woven verbal clause, this verse presents a quietly unsettling truth about how influence works in the world.
Clause Structure: A Bicolaic Proverb
Proverbs often come in two-line parallelism. Here, we have:
1. אֶֽבֶן־חֵ֣ן הַ֭שֹּׁחַד בְּעֵינֵ֣י בְעָלָ֑יו
(“A charm-stone is the bribe in the eyes of its owner”)
2. אֶֽל־כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֖ר יִפְנֶ֣ה יַשְׂכִּֽיל
(“Wherever he turns, he succeeds”)
The first clause is nominal, while the second is verbal, creating a poetic balance between description and consequence. There’s no subordinating conjunction between them, so the second half functions semantically as the result or observation derived from the first.
Word Order: Fronting the Metaphor
The phrase אֶֽבֶן־חֵ֣ן (“a stone of favor”) is placed first, giving it prominence. This is not just a bribe—it is perceived as an object of charm or magic. The construct chain (noun + noun) metaphorically recasts the bribe as a talisman. The subject complement הַשֹּׁחַד follows, and the location of perception בְּעֵינֵי בְעָלָיו (“in the eyes of its owner”) is pushed to the end.
Nominal Phrases: Construct Chains and Possession
– אֶֽבֶן־חֵן: a construct phrase, literally “stone of favor”—a metaphor for a bribe’s seductive power.
– בְעֵינֵי בְעָלָיו: a double genitive, with the possessive suffix יו (“his”) attaching to בְעָלָיו (“its owner”), and the preceding noun עֵינֵי in construct state.
Verbal Syntax: Action, Target, Result
The second colon features a clear verbal clause:
– יִפְנֶ֣ה (he turns): 3ms yiqtol (imperfect), denoting potential or habitual action.
– אֶל־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר: prepositional phrase + relative, meaning “toward whatever”.
– יַשְׂכִּֽיל: 3ms Hiphil yiqtol, meaning “he makes to prosper / he succeeds”.
This is a conditional-result structure implied without explicit conjunctions: “Wherever he turns—he prospers.”
Agreement and Gender Matching
– בְעָלָיו: masculine plural noun with 3ms suffix (his owners/his master).
– יִפְנֶ֣ה and יַשְׂכִּֽיל: both 3ms masculine singular, in agreement with the implied subject of the second clause—likely the bribe’s user or giver.
No mismatches appear, indicating a tight grammatical flow.
Tense and Modality: The Subtle Future
Both יִפְנֶה and יַשְׂכִּֽיל are imperfect (yiqtol) forms, used here to express general truth or predictable consequence. It does not suggest future time as much as habitual action or proverbial certainty—the syntax of proverbial law.
Emphasis and Irony
The fronting of אֶֽבֶן־חֵ֣ן over הַשֹּׁחַד is both poetic and ironic. It shows how the bribe is viewed rather than what it is. By ending with יַשְׂכִּֽיל (he succeeds), the proverb sharpens the punch: in the corrupt world, this perception works.
Discourse and Tone: Syntax as Moral Commentary
This proverb uses syntax to mask its moral stance. There’s no condemnation, just a structural observation. The sharp juxtaposition between the perceived magic of bribery and its empirical success builds an implicit critique through form, not rhetoric.
Focus, Function, and Flow in the Hebrew Mind
Proverbs 17:8 reveals a compressed yet masterful syntax that reflects the inner psychology of corruption. Fronting, nominal parallelism, and verbal result clauses collaborate to portray not just a social reality, but a mental one. The verse succeeds—syntactically and semantically—as a proverb not by preaching, but by letting structure show what speech withholds.
