| 6. Linguistic Exegesis The verse consists of two coordinated clauses introduced by the conjunction waw. The first clause features weheemin {וְהֶאֱמִ֖ן | wə-hēʾĕmîn} ‘and he believed’, a Hifil perfect form describing Abram’s completed act of trust. Its object is marked by the prepositional phrase baYHWH {בּֽ͏ַיהוָ֑ה | bə-yəhōwāh} ‘in the LORD’, emphasizing divine agency. The second clause, introduced by vayyachsheveha {וַיַּחְשְׁבֶ֥הָ | way-yaḥ-šə-ḇe-hā} ‘and he reckoned it’, is a wayyiqtol form portraying the divine attribution of Abram’s faith to his status. The suffix ‑hā refers back to the faith-act as a singular entity, and the indirect object lo {לּ֖וֹ | lō} indicates the beneficiary. The noun tsedaqah {צְדָקָֽה | ṣə-ḏā-qāh} functions as a predicate accusative, framing faith as a basis for righteousness. This structure implies a cause–result relationship, rendered in English as two linked clauses to preserve the forensic metaphor. |