| 29. Linguistic Exegesis The verse exhibits antithetical parallelism, beginning with the adjective rachoq {רָח֣וֹק | rāḥōq} in pre-verbal position for emphasis, followed by the subject Yahweh {יְ֭הוָה | Yəhōwāh}. The prepositional phrase mersaʿim {מֵרְשָׁעִ֑ים | mēršāʿîm} ‘from wicked ones’ specifies whom He distances Himself from. The conjunction ū {וּ | ū} introduces the contrasting clause in which the verb yishmaʿ {יִשְׁמָֽע | yišmāʿ} ‘he will hear’ takes the noun phrase tephillat tsaddiqim {תְּפִלַּ֖ת צַדִּיקִ֣ים | tephillāṯ ṣaddîqîm} as its direct object. The shift from Hebrew VSO to English SVO preserves clarity and highlights the contrast between divine removal and divine attention. |