| 17. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the prefixed verb vayamidha {וַיַעֲמִידֶ֤הָ | wayyaʿmîḏehā} ‘and he established it’, where the vav consecutive conveys historical narration and the Hiphil stem indicates causative action. The feminine singular suffix on vayamidha refers back to the covenant context. Coordinated prepositional phrases le-yaakov {לְיַעֲקֹב֙ | lə-yaʿăqōḇ} ‘for Jacob’ and le-yisrael {לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל | lə-yiśrāʼēl} ‘for Israel’ form a parallel structure highlighting individual and corporate recipients. The phrase le-chok {לְחֹ֔ק | lə-ḥōq} ‘as a statute’ assigns legal status, while the construct chain berit olam {בְּרִ֥ית עוֹלָֽם | bə-rît ʿôlām} ‘covenant everlasting’ underscores perpetual obligation. The English translation shifts to subject-verb-object order for clarity, preserving the sequence of divine action, recipients, and covenant terms. |