כִּ֤י הִצַּ֪לְתָּ נַפְשִׁ֡י מִמָּוֶת֮ הֲלֹ֥א רַגְלַ֗י מִ֫דֶּ֥חִי לְ֭הִֽתְהַלֵּךְ לִפְנֵ֣י אֱלֹהִ֑ים בְּ֝אֹ֗ור הַֽחַיִּֽים׃
For You have delivered my soul from death; have You not my feet from stumbling, to walk before God in the light of the living.
| # | Hebrew | Transliteration | Literal Gloss | Morph Tag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | כִּי | ki | “for” | Conj |
| 2 | הִצַּלְתָּ | hitsalta | “you have delivered” | Hiphil perfect 2ms |
| 3 | נַפְשִׁי | nafshi | “my soul” | N(fs)+suff 1cs |
| 4 | מִמָּוֶת | mi-mavet | “from death” | Prep מִן + N(ms) |
| 5 | הֲלֹא | halo | “have not” | Interrog + Neg |
| 6 | רַגְלַי | raglay | “my feet” | N(fd)+suff 1cs |
| 7 | מִדֶּחִי | mi-deḥi | “from stumbling” | Prep מִן + N(ms) |
| 8 | לְהִתְהַלֵּךְ | le-hithallekh | “to walk” | Prep לְ + Hitpael infinitive |
| 9 | לִפְנֵי | lifnei | “before” | Prep לְ + N(fp construct) |
| 10 | אֱלֹהִים | ʾelohim | “God” | N(mp) |
| 11 | בְּאוֹר | be-ʾor | “in light” | Prep בְּ + N(ms) |
| 12 | הַחַיִּים | ha-ḥayyim | “the living” | Def. art. הַ + N(mp) |
Morphology
- כִּי (ki) – Root: —; Root Type: Particle; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for”; Notes: Introduces reason or explanation.
- הִצַּלְתָּ (hitsalta) – Root: נצל (n-ṣ-l); Root Type: I-Nun (weak); Binyan: Hiphil; Form: Hiphil perfect 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “You have delivered”; Notes: Indicates completed act of rescue.
- נַפְשִׁי (nafshi) – Root: נפשׁ (n-p-š); Root Type: Strong; Form: Noun feminine singular + suffix 1st person common singular; Translation: “my soul”; Notes: Refers to life or self.
- מִמָּוֶת (mi-mavet) – Root: מות (m-w-t); Root Type: Hollow (weak); Form: Preposition מִן + noun masculine singular; Translation: “from death”; Notes: Indicates source or danger escaped.
- הֲלֹא (halo) – Root: —; Root Type: Particle; Form: Interrogative particle + negative; Translation: “have You not”; Notes: Introduces rhetorical question. By using “have You not,” the text identifies the He‑interrogative attached to לֹא (“not”). This construction functions as a “how much more” argument. If God has already delivered the soul (the whole person) from death, then it follows with certainty that He has also secured the feet (the specific path) from stumbling. The rhetorical question builds confidence by moving from the greater deliverance to the lesser, affirming comprehensive divine protection.
- רַגְלַי (raglay) – Root: רגל (r-g-l); Root Type: Strong; Form: Noun feminine dual + suffix 1st person common singular; Translation: “my feet”; Notes: Dual form referring to two feet.
- מִדֶּחִי (mi-deḥi) – Root: דחה (d-ḥ-h); Root Type: III-He (weak); Form: Preposition מִן + noun masculine singular; Translation: “from stumbling”; Notes: Refers to falling or slipping. The word דֶּחִי comes from the root דחה, meaning to push, thrust, or overthrow. Rendering it as “stumbling” is a strict and accurate choice, since it conveys the result of being pushed by the enemies described in verse 2 and ties directly back to verse 7, where they watched his heels to trip him. The imagery is cohesive: the enemies attempt to force a fall, but God prevents the stumble.
- לְהִתְהַלֵּךְ (le-hithallekh) – Root: הלך (h-l-kh); Root Type: Strong; Binyan: Hitpael; Form: Preposition לְ + Hitpael infinitive construct; Translation: “to walk”; Notes: Expresses ongoing conduct. The Hithpael infinitive לְהִתְהַלֵּךְ (“to walk”) is a technical highlight. The stem marks the verb as reflexive and iterative, so the nuance is not a single act of walking but a habitual, ongoing pattern—a lifestyle of walking. It is the same form used of Enoch and Noah “walking with God,” and thus conveys continuity and intimacy. While “to walk” is a straightforward rendering, the strict Hebrew sense is “to walk oneself about” or “to live out one’s life.” The image is not of one journey but of a continuous state of being in God’s presence.
- לִפְנֵי (lifnei) – Root: פנה (p-n-h); Root Type: III-He (weak); Form: Preposition לְ + noun feminine plural construct; Translation: “before”; Notes: Indicates presence or proximity.
- אֱלֹהִים (ʾelohim) – Root: אלה (ʾ-l-h); Root Type: Strong; Form: Noun masculine plural used as singular proper noun; Translation: “God”; Notes: The one before whom one walks.
- בְּאוֹר (be-ʾor) – Root: אור (ʾ-w-r); Root Type: I-Guttural (א) (weak); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “in light”; Notes: Symbolizes life or divine favor.
- הַחַיִּים (ha-ḥayyim) – Root: חיה (ḥ-y-h); Root Type: III-He (weak); Form: Definite article הַ + noun masculine plural; Translation: “the living”; Notes: Refers to the realm of the living. This phrase forms the ultimate contrast to the descent into Sheʾol in Psalm 55. To walk in the “light of the living” is to be fully restored to the land of the living—drawn out of the shadow of death and away from the hostile watchers. The imagery is spatial and existential: instead of being swallowed into darkness, the psalmist is sustained in the brightness of life, dwelling among those preserved by God.