יֹ֥ום אִירָ֑א אֲ֝נִ֗י אֵלֶ֥יךָ אֶבְטָֽח׃
Day I fear, I, to You I trust.
| # | Hebrew | Transliteration | Literal Gloss | Morph Tag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | יֹום | yom | “day” | N(ms) |
| 2 | אִירָא | ʾira | “I fear” | Qal imperfect 1cs |
| 3 | אֲנִי | ʾani | “I” | Pron 1cs |
| 4 | אֵלֶיךָ | ʾelekha | “to you” | Prep אֶל + suff 2ms |
| 5 | אֶבְטָח | ʾevtaḥ | “I trust” | Qal imperfect 1cs |
Morphology
- יֹום (yom) – Root: יום (y-w-m); Root Type: Hollow (weak); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “day”; Notes: Functions temporally, introducing the time frame of fear. Standard translations add the word “When” (“When I am afraid…”). The choice to leave it out, “Day I fear,” is strict adherence to the Hebrew construct. In Hebrew, the noun “day” (יֹום) functions as a temporal marker for the verb that follows. It creates a more immediate, present‑tense sense of crisis.
- אִירָא (ʾira) – Root: ירא (y-r-ʾ); Root Type: III-Guttural (א) (weak); Binyan: Qal; Form: Qal imperfect 1st person common singular; Translation: “I fear”; Notes: Expresses the speaker’s experience of fear.
- אֲנִי (ʾani) – Root: —; Root Type: Pronoun; Form: Independent pronoun 1st person common singular; Translation: “I”; Notes: Emphasizes the subject. The emphatic pronoun אֲנִי is the central feature of the verse, technically redundant because the verb אֶבְטָח already carries the “I” prefix, yet in Hebrew the addition of the independent pronoun intensifies the focus, as if the speaker insists “As for me” or “In spite of everything, I,” and by preserving the separate “I” (“I, to God I trust”) the rendering conveys the moment Dawid turns from circumstance toward God.
- אֵלֶיךָ (ʾelekha) – Root: —; Root Type: Particle with suffix; Form: Preposition אֶל + suffix 2nd person masculine singular; Translation: “to You”; Notes: Indicates direction of trust. The verb בטח (trust) usually takes the preposition בְּ (“in”), but here it takes אֵלֶיךָ, meaning “to” or “toward.” This shift highlights direction rather than location: the translation “to God I trust” captures the Hebrew nuance of movement. Trust is not portrayed as a static state but as an active turning, a deliberate orientation of the soul toward its object. The grammar itself conveys motion, intensifying the image of trust as a dynamic act rather than a passive feeling.
- אֶבְטָח (ʾevtaḥ) – Root: בטח (b-ṭ-ḥ); Root Type: Strong; Binyan: Qal; Form: Qal imperfect 1st person common singular; Translation: “I trust”; Notes: Expresses reliance placed upon God. Both verbs, אִירָא (“I fear”) and אֶבְטָח (“I will trust”), are in the imperfect tense. אִירָא conveys the ongoing reality of fear, while אֶבְטָח expresses the continual act of trusting. Rendering אֶבְטָח in the present—“I trust”—captures the iterative sense embedded in the Hebrew: each time fear arises, trust immediately follows. The grammar itself establishes a rhythm of repetition, showing fear and trust as recurring, paired responses rather than isolated events.