Psalms 17:2ExegesisTAB

Psalm 17 : 2 Justice | Integrity | Presence
2. Linguistic Exegesis
The verse employs a parallel couplet structure with two jussive petitions. The first hemistich begins with the prepositional phrase millefanekha {מִ֭לְּפָנֶיךָ | mil-le-fā-ne-ḵā} ‘from before you,’ setting the scene before the divine presence, followed by the verb yetze {יֵצֵ֑א | yē-ṣēʾ} ‘may … go forth’ taking mishpati {מִשְׁפָּטִ֣י | miš-pā-ṭî} ‘my judgment’ as its object. The second hemistich mirrors this pattern: einekha {עֵ֝ינֶ֗יךָ | ʿê-nê-ḵā} ‘your eyes’ serves as the subject of the jussive techezena {תֶּחֱזֶ֥ינָה | te-ḥe-ze-nāh} ‘let … see,’ with meisharim {מֵישָׁרִֽים | mê-šā-rîm} ‘uprightness’ as the object. This chiastic parallelism emphasizes both the plea for vindication and the demand for divine scrutiny, with the final placement of uprightness underscoring the moral integrity at stake.

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