| 6. Linguistic Exegesis The verse exhibits Hebrew poetic parallelism in two coordinated clauses. The first hemistich opens with the construct chain khevlei {חֶבְלֵ֥י | khevlei} ‘cords of’ linked to sheol {שְׁאוֹל | sheol} ‘underworld’, followed by the Piel perfect sabbuni {סַבֻּ֑נִי | sabbuni} ‘they surrounded me’. The second hemistich mirrors this pattern with the construct mokshei {מֹקְשֵׁי | mokshei} ‘snares of’ attached to mavet {מָֽוֶת | mavet} ‘death’, then the Piel perfect kiddemuni {קִדְּמֻ֖נִי | kiddemuni} ‘they confronted me’. This parallel structure heightens the sense of inescapable peril and the enveloping threats. |