| 15. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the contrastive pronoun ani {אֲנִי | ʾă-nî} marking the psalmist’s personal stance in relation to preceding complaints. The topical qualifier betsedeq {בְּצֶדֶק | bĕ-ṣe-ḏeq} ‘in righteousness’ is fronted in Hebrew to underscore moral standing, a nuance retained by initial placement in English. The Qal imperfect echezeh {אֶחֱזֶה | ʾe-ḥĕ-zeh} ‘I will behold’ governs panecha {פָנֶיךָ | pā-ne-ḵā} ‘your face.’ The second parallel clause employs esbeah {אֶשְׂבְּעָה | ʾeś-bə-ʿāh} ‘I will be satisfied,’ framed by the Hiphil infinitive behakits {בְהָקִיץ | bĕ-hā-qîṣ} ‘when I awake’ modifying temunatekha {תְּמוּנָתֶךָ | tə-mû-nā-te-ḵā} ‘your likeness.’ The two coordinated imperfect verbs and matching objects form a chiastic parallel highlighting vision and satisfaction. This structure emphasizes the intimate encounter with the divine presence and the fulfillment it produces. |