קֶ֤סֶם עַֽל־שִׂפְתֵי־מֶ֑לֶךְ בְּ֝מִשְׁפָּ֗ט לֹ֣א יִמְעַל־פִּֽיו׃ (Proverbs 16:10)
Overview: Syntax as the Throne of Judgment
Proverbs 16:10 is a proverb about royal authority, emphasizing the weight of a king’s words in the context of justice. The verse draws on metaphor and legal language, structured in a two-part parallelism. Its syntax reflects both reverence for royal speech and the ethical ideal that a king’s mouth should never betray justice.
Clause Structure: Bicolaic Parallelism
The verse is structured into two balanced clauses:
- קֶ֤סֶם עַֽל־שִׂפְתֵי־מֶ֑לֶךְ
“An oracle is upon the lips of a king” - בְּמִשְׁפָּ֗ט לֹ֣א יִמְעַל־פִּֽיו
“In judgment, his mouth will not betray”
The relationship is both semantic and grammatical: the first half states a metaphorical principle, and the second expresses its legal consequence or ethical implication.
Word Order: Poetic Elevation through Fronting
- קֶ֤סֶם – “oracle/divination” is placed first for poetic emphasis.
- עַל־שִׂפְתֵי־מֶלֶךְ – a prepositional phrase indicating where the “oracle” rests. The construct chain שִׂפְתֵי־מֶלֶךְ (“lips of a king”) identifies the source of speech.
The second clause opens with a prepositional phrase בְּמִשְׁפָּט (“in justice”), fronted to set the context before revealing the expected behavior: לֹא יִמְעַל־פִּיו (“his mouth will not betray”).
Nominal and Prepositional Phrases: Metaphor and Law
- קֶ֤סֶם – literally “divination” or “oracle”; metaphorically refers to the authoritative or inspired nature of the king’s speech.
- שִׂפְתֵי־מֶלֶךְ – “lips of a king” (construct phrase): the location or medium of this authoritative utterance.
- בְּמִשְׁפָּט – “in justice/judgment”: signals legal context and moral seriousness.
Verbal Syntax: Imperfect Denoting Moral Constancy
- יִמְעַל – Qal imperfect 3ms of the root מעל (“to act treacherously, be unfaithful”).
The imperfect expresses habitual or normative action: “he does not act treacherously.” - לֹא יִמְעַל־פִּיו – literally “his mouth does not betray.” The construct predicate uses mouth as the acting subject, personifying speech as a moral agent.
Agreement and Pronoun Cohesion
- יִמְעַל (3ms) agrees with the implied subject פִּיו (his mouth).
- Possessive suffix ־ו (“his”) links back to מֶלֶךְ in the first clause, maintaining syntactic unity across both halves.
Parallelism and Moral Expectation
The verse employs synthetic parallelism:
- The first line elevates royal speech with the imagery of an oracle.
- The second enforces ethical consistency in legal speech—his mouth must not betray justice.
The implication is that a true king’s speech carries divine weight and cannot violate moral order.
Discourse Reflection: Syntax as Ethical Governance
Proverbs 16:10 syntactically mirrors royal character:
- The oracle sits on the king’s lips.
- In judgment, the mouth does not deceive.
The order and style convey that speech and justice are fused in the ideal monarch, and any breach would be a betrayal of both law and divine purpose.
The Architecture of Ethical Speech
This proverb’s syntax joins poetry, governance, and morality. Through perfect construct chains, prepositional emphasis, and precise negation, the verse asserts that a king’s authority lies not in volume but in integrity. When speech is oracle and judgment is pure, syntax becomes sovereignty.
