| 5. Linguistic Exegesis The clause opens with asher {אֲשֶׁר | ʾăšer} functioning causally (“because”), grounding the preceding narrative claim in David’s overall pattern of loyalty. The main assertion pairs asah {עָשָׂה | ʿāśāh} with et-hayashar {אֶת־הַיָּשָׁר | ʾet-hay-yāšār} to depict “doing the upright,” an ethical evaluation stated as an object of action. The idiom beene Yahweh {בְּעֵינֵי יְהוָה | bə-ʿênê Yə-hō-wāh} frames righteousness as measured by divine assessment rather than public reputation. The following coordination velo-sar {וְלֹא־סָר | wə-lō-sār} adds a second, negative description (“he did not turn aside”), creating a two-part portrayal: positive right-doing and persistent non-deviation. Mikol ʾăšer-ṣiwwāhû {מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּהוּ | mik-kōl ʾăšer-ṣiwwāhû} uses a comprehensive “from all that He commanded him,” with the relative clause compressing divine instruction into a single governing category, while kol yeme ḥayyav {כֹּל יְמֵי חַיָּיו | kōl yəmê ḥayyāw} extends the claim across the full duration of his life. The restrictive particle raq {רַק | raq} sharply limits the exception, and bidvar ʾuriyyah ha-ḥittî {בִּדְבַר אוּרִיָּה הַחִתִּי | bidvar ʾûrîyāh ha-ḥittî} specifies it as a single notorious “matter,” producing a rhetorical contrast between overarching obedience and one defining breach. |