| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The Hebrew simile palgei-māyim {פַּלְגֵי־מַיִם | pəlgê-māyim} ‘streams of water’ in construct with lev-melech {לֵב־מֶלֶךְ | lēv-mêlêk} ‘heart of king’ portrays human intentions as fluid. The phrase be-yad-Yahweh {בְּיַד־יְהוָה | bə-yaḏ Yəhōwāh} ‘in the hand of the LORD’ functions as a prepositional phrase indicating divine control. The Qal imperfect yachpotz {יַחְפֹּץ | yaḥpōṣ} expresses volitional desire, and the Hiphil imperfect yattenu {יַטֶּנּוּ | yaṭṭēnû} conveys active divine redirection. This structure underscores Yahweh’s sovereign guidance of royal will, and the English rendering maintains the poetic simile by rearranging for clarity without altering theological nuance. |