עַ֤ד יְפַלַּ֪ח חֵ֡ץ כְּֽבֵדֹ֗ו כְּמַהֵ֣ר צִפֹּ֣ור אֶל־פָּ֑ח וְלֹֽא־֝יָדַ֗ע כִּֽי־בְנַפְשֹׁ֥ו הֽוּא׃
(Proverbs 7:23)
Clause Structure and Sequential Tension
The verse is structured as a sequence of clauses that depict a sudden and fatal downfall—syntactically layered to match the speed and inevitability of the event:
- עַד יְפַלַּ֪ח חֵ֡ץ כְּֽבֵדֹ֗ו – “Until an arrow pierces his liver”
- עַד (“until”) sets up a temporal clause leading to climax.
- יְפַלַּ֪ח is a jussive/imperfect (Hifil from פּלח, “to pierce”), creating a prospective tension.
- חֵץ כְּבֵדֹו (“an arrow [pierces] his liver”) uses vivid imagery: the liver symbolizing the innermost self or vitality.
- כְּמַהֵ֣ר צִפֹּ֣ור אֶל־פָּ֑ח – “like a bird hurrying to the trap”
- This simile clause intensifies the image, suggesting speed and naïveté.
- כְּמַהֵ֣ר is an infinitive construct used adverbially—“as one who hastens.”
- צִפֹּ֣ור אֶל־פָּ֑ח (“a bird to a snare”) is a noun phrase indicating the fatal direction of motion.
- וְלֹֽא־יָדַ֗ע כִּֽי־בְנַפְשֹׁ֥ו הֽוּא – “and he does not know it is for his life”
- This final clause is a negative verbless realization of tragic irony.
- וְלֹֽא־יָדַ֗ע is a perfect verb with non-iterative negation—not just ignorance, but blindness to consequence.
- כִּֽי־בְנַפְשֹׁ֥ו הוּא is a causal clause with a focus on pronoun placement: literally “that—it is for his life.”
Progression from Metaphor to Meaning
The syntax mimics the unfolding realization:
– It begins with an imminent consequence (piercing arrow).
– Then follows with a metaphoric motion (the bird unaware of the trap).
– Finally, it lands on a psychological observation: he doesn’t even realize his life is at stake.
The verse’s progression from action → image → insight mirrors the descent of the fool described throughout Proverbs 7.
Waw-Consecutive and Surprise Climax
The וְלֹֽא־יָדַ֗ע interrupts the descriptive imagery and delivers the interpretive punch. The waw-consecutive functions here not to mark sequence but unexpected realization. It’s a shift from the external to the internal, the observable to the tragic.
Thematic Syntax: Poetic and Deadly
Each clause builds tension not only semantically but syntactically:
– Temporal + action clause → imminent death
– Simile clause → poetic misdirection
– Verbless insight clause → delayed awareness
This syntax is designed to mislead the reader momentarily—just as the victim is misled by lust—until the truth lands like a piercing arrow.
Syntax as Snare
Just like the youth of Proverbs 7, the verse leads us along a path that feels rhythmic and picturesque—until the final clause jars us with fatal irony. The syntax itself functions like the snare: hidden, rhythmic, fatal. The reader is drawn into the same illusion as the fool, and the syntax springs the trap.