עֻ֭זֹּו אֵלֶ֣יךָ אֶשְׁמֹ֑רָה כִּֽי־֝אֱלֹהִ֗ים מִשְׂגַּבִּֽי׃
His strength, toward you I will keep watch, for God is my high refuge.
| # | Hebrew | Transliteration | Literal Gloss | Morph Tag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | עֻזֹּו | ʿuzzo | “his strength” | N(ms) + suff 3ms |
| 2 | אֵלֶיךָ | ʾelekha | “toward you” | Prep אֶל + suff 2ms |
| 3 | אֶשְׁמֹרָה | ʾeshmorah | “I will keep watch” | Qal cohortative 1cs |
| 4 | כִּי | ki | “for” | Explanatory conjunction |
| 5 | אֱלֹהִים | ʾElohim | “God” | N(mp form; singular sense) |
| 6 | מִשְׂגַּבִּי | misgabbi | “my high refuge” | N(ms construct) + suff 1cs |
Morphology
- עֻזֹּו (ʿuzzo) – Root: עזז (ʿ-z-z); Root Type: Geminate; Form: Noun masculine singular + suffix 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “his strength”; Notes: The fronted noun emphasizes the strength belonging to the hostile person or enemy mentioned in the surrounding context. The form is textually difficult because many interpreters expect “my strength,” but the Masoretic consonantal text reads “his strength.”
- אֵלֶיךָ (ʾelekha) – Root: אל (ʾel); Root Type: Particle, non-verbal; Form: Preposition אֶל + suffix 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “toward you”; Notes: Marks the direction of the psalmist’s attention and expectation toward God.
- אֶשְׁמֹרָה (ʾeshmorah) – Root: שׁמר (shamar); Root Type: Strong; Binyan: Qal; Form: Cohortative 1st person common singular with cohortative ending ־ָה; Translation: “I will keep watch”; Notes: The cohortative expresses determined or intentional action. Here the psalmist resolves to watch expectantly toward God.
- כִּי (ki) – Root: כי (ki); Root Type: Particle, non-verbal; Form: Explanatory conjunction; Translation: “for”; Notes: Introduces the reason for the psalmist’s watchful confidence: God is his secure refuge.
- אֱלֹהִים (ʾElohim) – Root: אלה (ʾ-l-h); Root Type: III-He; Form: Noun masculine plural in form, functioning as a singular proper designation; Translation: “God”; Notes: Although morphologically plural in form, it refers here to the singular God of Yisraʾel and governs the singular nominal predicate that follows.
- מִשְׂגַּבִּי (misgabbi) – Root: שׂגב (ś-g-b); Root Type: Strong; Form: Noun masculine singular construct (state: construct) + suffix 1st person common singular; Translation: “my high refuge”; Notes: The noun denotes an elevated and therefore inaccessible place of safety. The initial מ is part of the noun’s derivational pattern and is not the preposition מִן.