| 4. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative opens with the vav-consecutive imperfect vayomeru {וַיֹּאמְרוּ | wayyōmerū} ‘and they said’, which introduces collective speech. The subject kol-haqahal {כָּל־הַקָּהָל | kol-hāqāhāl} ‘the assembly’ forms a construct phrase highlighting corporate unity. The infinitive la-asot {לַעֲשֹׂת | la-ʿăśōṯ} ‘to do’ paired with ken {כֵּן | kên} ‘thus’ functions as a complementary infinitive indicating consent to act. The causal clause ki-yashar {כִּי־יָשַׁר | kî-yāšar} ‘for it was right’ presents ha-davar {הַדָּבָר | ha-dāvar} ‘the matter’ as the approved action, followed by the prepositional phrase be-einei kol-haam {בְּעֵינֵי כָּל־הָעָם | be-ʿênê kol-hāʿām} ‘in the eyes of all the people,’ the standard Hebrew idiom for communal approval. The placement of justification at the end moves the reader from decision to rationale, reflecting communal deliberation. |