| 20. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the Hitpael imperfect vayit’halleku {וַיִּֽתְהַלְּכוּ֙ | vai-yit-hal-lê-kû} indicating iterative motion in a vav-consecutive narrative. The paired prepositions min {מִן | min} “from” and ʾel {אֶל | ʾel} “to” create a parallel pattern in mi-gôy ʾel-gôy {מִגּוֹי אֶל־גּוֹי | mi-gôy ʾel-gôy} and u-min-mamlā-kâ ʾel-ʿam ʾaḥêr {וּמִמַמְּלָכָה אֶל־עַם אַחֵר | u-min-mam-mā-lâ-kâ ʾel-ʿam ʾaḥêr}, emphasizing continuous travel across geopolitical boundaries. The vav conjunction in u-min-mamlā-kâ introduces the second parallel segment from kingdom to another people, underscoring the shift to a new group. This mirrored Hebrew word order and rhetorical parallelism are retained in English to preserve the sense of restless movement and changing locales. |