| 6. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the prepositional construct chain bechesed ve’emet {בְּחֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת | bə-ḥe-sed və-ʾe-met} ‘by mercy and truth’, a synonymous parallelism of absolute nouns linked by the conjunction vav {וּ | və}, establishing two covenantal means of guilt removal. The main clause employs the Piel imperfect passive yekuppar {יְכֻפַּר | yə-kup-par} ‘is atoned’, taking avon {עָוֹן | ʿa-vōn} ‘iniquity’ as its direct object. The subsequent clause starts with uveyirat Yahweh {וּבְיִרְאַת יְהוָה | u-və-yi-rat Yə-hō-wāh} ‘and by the fear of the LORD’, marking reverential motivation, followed by the infinitive sur {סוּר | sûr} ‘turning aside’ with the prepositional phrase mera {מֵרָע | mē-rāʿ} ‘from evil’, indicating habitual moral direction. The paratactic linkage is reflected in English by a semicolon dividing the resultant clauses. |