| 7. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the numeral shtayim {שְׁ֭תַּיִם | šəṯayim} ‘two’, highlighting a dual petition. The perfect verb shaʾalti {שָׁאַ֣לְתִּי | šāʾal-tî} ‘I have asked’ signals a completed request with ongoing relevance. The prepositional phrase meʾitteka {מֵאִתָּ֑ךְ | mêʾit-tāḵ} ‘from you’ identifies the addressee. The prohibitive clause ʾal timnaʿ {אַל־תִּמְנַ֥ע | ʾal tim-naʿ} ‘do not withhold’ is bookended by mimeni {מִ֝מֶּ֗נִּי | mim-mēnî} ‘from me’, forming a chiasm that intensifies the plea. The temporal marker beterem {בְּטֶ֣רֶם | bə-térēm} ‘before’ coupled with the imperfect ʾamūt {אָמֽוּת | ʾā-mût} ‘I die’ conveys urgency and finality. This syntactic arrangement—object, verb, addressee, prohibition within an inclusion, temporal clause—underscores the speaker’s earnest dependence in the face of mortality. |