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…