עִם־חָסִ֖יד

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 עִם־חָסִ֖יד

   im-kha-SID

   with a faithful one or loyal one
2. clause🔊 עִם־חָסִ֖יד תִּתְחַסָּ֑ד

   im-kha-SID tit-kha-SAD

   with a faithful one or loyal one you show yourself faithful or loyal
3. sentence🔊 עִם־חָסִ֖יד תִּתְחַסָּ֑ד עִם־גִּבּ֥וֹר תָּמִ֖ים תִּתַּמָּֽם׃

   im-kha-SID tit-kha-SAD im-gib-BOR ta-MIM tit-TAM

   with a faithful one or loyal one you show yourself faithful or loyal with a mighty man or warrior blameless or whole you show yourself blameless or whole

Exegesis

The verse features chiastic parallelism in two im {עִם | ʿim} clauses, each linking a moral noun (chasid {חָסִיד | ḥā-sîḏ} “faithful one” and gibbor {גִּבּוֹר | gib-bôr} “mighty one”) with a Hitpael imperfect verb (titkhasad {תִּתְחַסָּד | tit-ḥas·sāḏ} “you show yourself faithful” and tittamam {תִּתַּמָּם | tit·tam·mām} “you show yourself blameless”). This structure underscores the reciprocal relationship between moral character and divine response. English places the prepositional phrases before the verbs to preserve the conditional nuance while maintaining literary balance.

Root and etymology

ḥ-s-d🔊 ח־ס־דhet–samekh–dalet

“to be loyal, faithful”

• 🔊 חֶסֶדchesedsteadfast lovePsalm 136:1