| 4. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the verb afafuni {אֲפָפ֣וּנִי | ʾă-fā-fū-nî} ‘they surrounded me,’ conveying an enveloping menace. The construct chain chevlei-mavet {חֶבְלֵי־מָ֑וֶת | ḥev-lê mā-weṯ} ‘cords of death’ intensifies the image of inescapable peril. The coordinating conjunction vav {וְ | wə-} links the parallel phrase venachalei-beliyaal {וְנַחֲלֵי־בְלִיָּ֥עַל | wə-na-ḥă-lê bə-lî-yā-ʿal} ‘streams of worthlessness,’ where naḥal {נַחַל | naḥal} ‘torrent’ evokes surging ruin. The Piel imperfect yevatuni {יְבַעֲתֽוּנִי | yə-ḇa-ʿă-ṯū-nî} ‘they terrified me’ heightens emotional intensity. This parallelism of mortal danger and moral collapse underscores the complete sense of being overwhelmed. |