| 4. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the noun chayim {חַיִּים | ḥayyîm} ‘life’ followed by the perfect verb pashaʾal {פָּשָׁאַל | pā-šā-ʾal} ‘asked’ to form a petition clause. The prepositional phrase mimmekha {מִמְּךָ | mim-me-ḵā} ‘from you’ marks the source of the plea. The response clause uses the perfect verb natatta-lo {נָתַתָּה־לוֹ | nā-tat-tā-lō} ‘you gave to him’, with the pronominal suffix indicating personal bestowal. The construct orekh yamim {אֹרֶךְ יָמִים | ʾō-reḵ yā-mîm} ‘length of days’ expresses longevity through a genitival relationship. The paired nouns olam vaʿed {עוֹלָם וָעֶד | ʿō-lām wā-ʿe-ʾd} ‘forever and ever’ build intensity via synonymous parallelism. The perfect–perfect sequence underscores divine granting as the result of human petition and emphasizes intimate divine-human interaction. |