| 3. Linguistic Exegesis The verse employs three Qal perfect verbs in asyndeton—bachanta {בָּ֘חַ֤נְתָּ | bā-ḥan-tā} ‘you have examined,’ paqadta {פָּ֘קַ֤דְתָּ | pā-qa-ḏ-tā} ‘you have visited,’ and tseraphtani {צְרַפְתַּ֥נִי | tse-raph-tā-nî} ‘you have tested me’—to depict thorough divine scrutiny. The prepositional phrase laylāh {לַּ֗יְלָה | la-y-lāh} ‘at night’ temporally frames these actions. The negative particle bal {בַל־ | bal} with the imperfect verbs timṣā {תִּמְצָ֑א | tim-ṣā} and yaʿăvar {יַעֲבָר־ | ya-ʿă-var} signals strong volitional refusal. The construct chain zammōtî {זַ֝מֹּתִ֗י | zam-mō-tî} and pî {פִּֽי | pî} forms an idiom expressing a resolve to restrain speech, moving from past divine examination to future self-control. |