| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with direct address bni {בְּנִי | bə-nî} ‘my son’, establishing a personal mentor relationship. The conditional marker im {אִם | ʾim} ‘if’ sets up a prerequisite framework for wise living. The paired verbs tiqqach {תִּקַּח | ṭiq-qāḥ} ‘take’ and titzpon {תִּצְפֹּן | ṭiṣ-pōn} ‘treasure up’ form a balanced parallel structure governing the objects amarai {אֲמָרָי | ʾă-mā-rāy} ‘my words’ and mitzvotai {מִצְוֺתַי | miṣ-vō-ṯay} ‘my commandments’, reinforcing both the initial reception and ongoing preservation of instruction. The closing prepositional phrase ittach {אִתָּךְ | ʾit-tāḵ} ‘with you’ emphasizes internalization of these teachings. This word order—placing the vocative and conditional at the forefront—underscores the necessity of personal engagement before action. |