Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G Message—so is the man who deceives his neighbor and then says, 'I was only joking!'
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.G—so is the man who deceives his neighbour and says, 'Was I not only playing?'
KJV
King James VersionSo is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport?
BSB
Berean Standard Bibleso is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I was only joking!”
Footnotes
Verses 18–19 form a single suspended simile—the comparison is launched in v. 18 and its subject revealed in v. 19, a rare grammatical structure that creates dramatic suspense. *Mitlahleha* (מִתְלַהְלֵהַ) is an intensive reflexive form suggesting self-inflamed mania, someone who has lost control of their own destructive force. The defence *'halo mesacheq ani'* ('am I not playing/sporting?') uses the same root as the name Yitschaq (Isaac, 'laughter')—a possible wordplay pointing to the abuse of humour as cover for cruelty. Both FOG and FOG Message preserve the suspended syntax with an em-dash.