The punctuation represents the accents, the larger distinctive accents being represented by the longer pauses. The Syriac reads (‡ Syriac phrase), ‘to know the wickedness of the fool, and folly and _adultery_,’ which coincides with the above; a reason for the peculiar rendering ‘adultery’ will appear presently). 26 And I find more bitter │ Now, I have made a discovery, than death the woman, whose │ and that more bitter than heart _is_ snares and nets, │ death; it is with respect _and_ her hands _as_ bands: │ to woman, when she is in the ¹whoso pleaseth God shall │ nature of an ensnarer, her escape from her; but the │ affection seductions, and her sinner shall be taken by her. │ hands bondage. A real good in │ the sight of the Almighty is it ¹ _Hebrew_ _He that is_ good │ to be delivered from her, but before God. │ the erring sinner is taken by │ such as she. (26.) =And finding= (a participle written full, giving a peculiar emphasis to this word) =am I a bitterness above death with respect to the woman= (את with the article, which the LXX. note by σὺν, as usual; thus ‘woman’ is generic, hence the precise idea seems to be ‘and a discovery of mine more bitter than death――is with respect to woman;’ and, again, this follows the accentuation, which makes a pause at ‘death,’) =who= (but the relative is full, and so refers back to the whole clause, ‘when she’) =is snares= (masculine plural, and hence distributive, ‘in the nature of an ensnarer’ then, see Proverbs xii. 12, chapter ix. 14, where this form alone מצודה in the feminine occurs, chapter ix. 12, Isaiah xxix. 7, Ezekiel xix. 9, and with shurek at Job xix. 6; there is a slight difference in meaning in these forms) =and allurements= (the root חרם is to destroy, and the noun signifies ‘a cursed thing’ as often as a ‘net;’ see Deuteronomy vii. 26, Joshua vi. 17) =her heart= (singular following plural; her heart then is in the nature of things which allure to destruction, a whole armoury of them, as it were, in her love) =and bonds= her =hands= (or ‘powers’); =good in the sight of Divine providence= (‘a real good is it in the sight of Divine providence’ is the meaning) =is deliverance from her= (emphatic), =but the erring one= (a full participle, which the LXX. note) =is taken by her= (emphatic).