| 19. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with ki {כִּי | kî} introducing a causal clause that explains the divine rationale for the earlier promise to Abraham. The verb yeda‘tiw {יְדַעְתִּיו | yəḏaʿtîw} “I have known him” conveys divine elective knowledge rather than simple awareness. A purpose clause starts with lema‘an {לְמַעַן | ləmaʿan} and is specified by the relative pronoun asher {אֲשֶׁר | ʾăšer}, leading into the Piel imperfect yetsavveh {יְצַוֶּה | yəṣawweh} “he may command,” which takes the coordinated direct objects banav ve’et beito {בָּנָיו וְאֶת־בֵּיתוֹ | bānāyw wə ʾeṯ bêṯô} “his sons and his household” and the prepositional modifier acharav {אַחֲרָיו | ʾaḥărāyw}. The subsequent clause with veshamru {וְשָׁמְרוּ | wəšāmərû} “they may keep” then introduces derekh Yahweh {דֶּרֶךְ יְהוָה | dereḵ Yahweh} “the way of the LORD” as the metaphorical life path, and the infinitive la‘asot {לַעֲשׂוֹת | laʿăśôṯ} expresses means by stating what they do—tsedaqah u-mishpat {צְדָקָה וּמִשְׁפָּט | ṣədāqāh ûmišpāṭ} “righteousness and justice.” A second purpose clause introduced by a repeated lema‘an {לְמַעַן | ləmaʿan} focuses on divine action, with the Hiphil infinitive construct havi {הָבִיא | hāḇîʾ} “to bring” and its goal al Avraham {עַל־אַבְרָהָם | ʿal ʾaḇrāhām}, while the relative clause with asher dibber alav {אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּר עָלָיו | ʾăšer dibbēr ʿālâyw} “that He spoke concerning him” identifies the content of the promise. The English rendering preserves the Hebrew clause order of reason–purpose chains and shifts verb–subject order for natural flow, maintaining the link between Abraham’s household obedience and the fulfillment of divine promise. |