| 7. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the noun revavah {רְבָבָה | rə-ḇā-ḇāh} ‘multitude’ followed by the comparative ke-tzemach ha-sadeh {כְּצֶמַח הַשָּׂדֶה | kə-ṣē-maḥ ha-šā-deh} ‘like a sprout of the field,’ establishing an image of vigorous growth. The perfect verb netattikh {נְתַתִּיךְ | nə-ṯa-ttiḵ} introduces divine agency in a first person singular perfect with a second person feminine suffix. The sequence of waw-consecutive imperfect verbs watirbi, watigdeli, and watavoi {וַתִּרְבִּי, וַתִּגְדְּלִי, וַתָּבֹאִי | wa-tir-bî, wa-tig-de-lî, wa-tā-vo-’î} narrates multiplication, growth, and the coming of maturity. The idiomatic phrase baadi adayim {בַּעֲדִי עֲדָיִים | ba-‘ă-dî ʿă-ḏā-yim} ‘into fullness of adornments’ functions as a euphemism for puberty. The dual noun shadayim {שָׁדַיִם | šā-ḏā-yim} ‘breasts’ with the Nifal perfect nakhonu {נָכֹנוּ | nā-ḵō-nû} marks physical formation, and the phrase usearekh tsimeach {וּשְׂעָרֵךְ צִמֵּחַ | u-šə-‘ā-rêḵ ṣi-mē-aḥ} ‘and your hair grew’ further signals maturation. The concluding coordination veat erom veeryah {וְאַתְּ עֵרֹם וְעֶרְיָה | wə-’at ‘ê-rōm wə-‘er-yāh} contrasts these growth images with naked vulnerability. The English sequence preserves the Hebrew verbal forms and idiomatic expressions to reflect both structure and nuance. |