| 21. Linguistic Exegesis The main command is issued by the imperative yera-et-Yahweh {יְרָֽא־אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה | yə-rāʾ-ʾeṯ-yəhōwāh}, combining Qal imperative and direct object marker to target both divine and royal subjects. The vocative beni {בְּנִ֣י | bə-nî} personalizes the warning. Conjunction va-meleḵ {וָמֶ֑לֶךְ | wə-me-leḵ} links the human authority to the divine, reflecting dual submission. The prepositional participle im-šônîm {עִם־שׁ֝וֹנִ֗ים | ʿim-šônîm} designates those prone to change, and the negative imperative al-titʿārāḇ {אַל־תִּתְעָרָֽב | ʾal-tit-ʿārāḇ} in the Hitpael stem emphasizes reflexive avoidance. English renders the parallel imperatives and maintains the coordination of objects to reflect the Hebrew structure. |