| 43. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the Piel imperfect verb tepalteni {תְּפַלְּטֵנִי | tə-pal-lə-ṭē-nî} ‘you delivered me,’ foregrounding divine intervention. The prepositional construct merivei ʿam {מֵרִיבֵי עָם | mē-rî-ḇê ʿām} ‘from the quarrels of the people’ situates the source of deliverance. The Qal imperfect teshimeni {תְּשִׂימֵנִי | tə-śî-mē-nî} ‘you set me’ forms an enthronement clause completed by the prepositional phrase le-rosh goyim {לְרֹאשׁ גּוֹיִם | lə-rōʾš gō-yîm} ‘as head of nations.’ The juxtaposed clause am lo-yadati {עַם לֹא־יָדַעְתִּי | ʿam lō-yā-daʿ-tî} ‘a people I did not know’ and the final Qal imperfect yaavduni {יַעַבְדֻנִי | ya-ʿav-dū-nî} ‘will serve me’ creates a result relationship, emphasizing universal obedience. A chiastic structure (deliver–enthronement–service) highlights theological progression from rescue to authority to submission. |