| 17. Linguistic Exegesis The verse employs parallel clauses to link human generosity with divine response. It begins with the Hiphil participle malveh {מַלְוֵה | malwēh} ‘lending,’ which initiates the first clause. The following divine name Yahweh {יְהוָה | Yə-hō-wāh} is fronted to highlight God’s central role. The Qal participle chōnên {חֹנֵן | chōnên} ‘showing favor’ governs dal {דָּל | dāl} ‘poor,’ framing an act of compassion. The conjunction ūgəmūlô {וּגְמֻל֗וֹ | ūgəmūlô} ‘and his recompense’ transitions to the second clause, where the imperfect yĕšallem {יְשַׁלֶּם | yĕšallem} ‘he will repay’ plus the suffix lo {לוֹ | lōw} ‘to him’ promise divine retribution. This chiastic parallelism underscores that generosity toward the needy is treated as a loan to the LORD, who assures its return. |