| 9. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with a chained expression bechukotai yehalech {בְּחֻקּוֹתַי יְהַלֵּךְ | bə-ḥuqqō-ṯai yə-hal-lēḵ} ‘he walks in my statutes’, followed by the vav-clause ū-mišpāṭai šāmar {וּמִשְׁפָּטַי שָׁמַר | ū-miš-pā-ṭai šā-mar} ‘and keeps my judgments’, which is extended by the infinitive la-ʿāśōṯ ʾĕ-meṯ {לַעֲשׂוֹת אֱמֶת | la-ʿāśōṯ ʾĕ-meṯ} ‘to do truth’. The parallel Hithpael and Qal verbs emphasize complete obedience to divine directives. The subject, described as tsaddiq {צַדִּיק | ṣad-dîq} ‘righteous’, is affirmed by the pronoun hu {הוּא | hūʾ} immediately before the intensified promise chayeh yichyeh {חָיֹה יִחְיֶה | ḥā-yōh yi-ḥyə} ‘he shall surely live’, where the infinitive absolute plus imperfect underscores certainty. The conclusion neum ă-ḏō-nāy Yə-hō-wāh {נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִֽה | nə-ʾum ʾă-ḏō-nāy Yə-hō-wāh} functions as a sovereign declaration, linking obligation to divine authority. |