| 11. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the verb amar {אָמַר | ʾā-mar} ‘he said’, marking divine speech. The subject Yahweh {יְהוָה | Yə-hō-wāh} ‘LORD’ is followed by the conditional particle im-lo {אִם־לֹא | ʾim-lōʾ} ‘if not’, forming two conditional assurances. In the first clause the Piel perfect sharotekha {שָׁרוּתְךָ | šārūṯəḵā} ‘I have loosened you’ and the Hiphil perfect sheriticha {שֵֽׁרִיתִ֖יךָ | šērîṯîḵā} ‘I have released you’ are modified by the purpose phrase le-tov {לְטוֹב | lə-ṭōḇ} ‘for good’. The second clause uses the Hiphil perfect hifgati {הִפְגַעְתִּי | hif-gaʿ-tî} ‘I have caused to entreat’ with bekha {בְּךָ | bə-ḵā} ‘in you’ and the temporal phrases be-et raah {בְּעֵת רָעָה | bə-ʿêt rā-ʿāh} ‘in the time of evil’ and u-ve-et tsarah {וּבְעֵת צָרָה | û-ḇə-ʿêt ṣā-rāh} ‘and in time of distress’. The composite et-ha-oyev {אֶת־הָאֹיֵֽב | ʾet-hā-ʾō-yēḇ} ‘the enemy’ specifies who entreats. The use of im-lo with perfect verbs conveys a strong assurance rendered as “surely.” |