| 13. Linguistic Exegesis The Hebrew clause begins with a fronted adjective tamim {תָּמִ֣ים | tā-mîm} ‘blameless’ to foreground moral integrity, followed by the imperfect verb tihyeh {תִּֽהְיֶ֔ה | tih-yeh-hāh} ‘you shall be,’ creating a sustained imperative. The preposition im {עִ֖ם | ʿim} ‘with’ links the subject to the divine name Yahweh {יְהוָה | Yə-hō-wāh}, and the pronominal suffix in Eloheikha {אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ | ʾĕ-lō-hê-kā} ‘your God’ personalizes the covenant relationship. English word order shifts the verb before the adjective for clarity, while retaining emphasis on character by preserving the fronted adjective. |