מְאֹ֔ד

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 מְאֹ֔ד

   me-OD

   very
2. clause🔊 אֶפְּלָה־נָּ֣א בְיַד־יְהוָ֗ה כִּֽי־רַבִּ֤ים רַחֲמָיו֙ מְאֹ֔ד וּבְיַד־אָדָ֖ם אַל־אֶפֹּֽל׃

   e-pe-LA-na ve-yad-ye-ho-VAH ki-ra-BIM ra-kha-MAV me-OD u-ve-yad-a-DAM al-e-POL

   let me fall, please into the hand of the LORD for many his mercies very and into the hand of man do not let me fall
3. sentence🔊 וַיֹּ֧אמֶר דָּוִ֛יד אֶל־גָּ֖ד צַר־לִ֣י מְאֹ֑ד אֶפְּלָה־נָּ֣א בְיַד־יְהוָ֗ה כִּֽי־רַבִּ֤ים רַחֲמָיו֙ מְאֹ֔ד וּבְיַד־אָדָ֖ם אַל־אֶפֹּֽל׃

   va-YO-mer da-VID el-GAD tsar-LI me-OD e-pe-LA-na ve-yad-ye-ho-VAH ki-ra-BIM ra-kha-MAV me-OD u-ve-yad-a-DAM al-e-POL

   and he said David to Gad it is tight for me very let me fall, please into the hand of the LORD for many his mercies very and into the hand of man do not let me fall

Exegesis

David’s first clause is a verbless predication: ṣar-lî məʾōḏ {צַר־לִי מְאֹד | ṣar-lî məʾōḏ} ‘distress (is) to me, very’, where the predicate is fronted and intensified by məʾōḏ to heighten urgency.

The causal kî-rabbîm raḥămāw məʾōḏ {כִּי־רַבִּים רַחֲמָיו מְאֹד | kî-rabbîm raḥămāw məʾōḏ} places the predicate adjective first (“great”) to emphasize the reason for his choice, grounding it in the abundance of YHWH’s compassion.