Flying into the Trap: Syntactic Irony in Proverbs 7:23
עַ֤ד יְפַלַּ֪ח חֵ֡ץ כְּֽבֵדֹ֗ו כְּמַהֵ֣ר צִפֹּ֣ור אֶל־פָּ֑ח וְלֹֽא־֝יָדַ֗ע כִּֽי־בְנַפְשֹׁ֥ו הֽוּא׃ (Proverbs 7:23) Until an arrow pierces his liver; like a bird hastening to the trap, he does not know that it is for his life. Clause Structure and Sequential Tension The verse is structured as a sequence of clauses that depict a sudden and fatal…