| 9. Linguistic Exegesis The prepositional phrase mipnei {מִפְּנֵי | mip-nē} ‘from before’ marks the source of threat and governs the head noun reshaim {רְשָׁעִים | rə-šā-ʿîm} ‘wicked ones’. The relative pronoun zu {זוּ | zû} introduces a clause with the Piel perfect shaduni {שַּדּוּנִי | šad-dū-nî} ‘have devastated me’, depicting violent oppression. The noun phrase oyevai {אֹיְבַי | ʾō-yē-vai} ‘my enemies’ is the subject of the Hiphil imperfect yakifu {יַקִּיפוּ | yaqqîp̄û} ‘they surround’, while the adverbial benefesh {בְּנֶפֶשׁ | bə-ne-feš} ‘with life’ intensifies lethal intent. The final prepositional phrase alai {עָלַי | ʿă-lay} ‘upon me’ completes the expression of encirclement, heightening the psalmist’s urgency. |