| 7. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative begins with the vav consecutive in vayeyra {וַיֵּ֙רַע֙ | wayyēraʿ} ‘and it was evil’, indicating continued narration. The idiom be‘eine {בְּעֵינֵ֣י | bə‘êynê} ‘in the eyes of’ conveys subjective divine evaluation, while ha-Elohim {הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים | hāʾĕlōhîm} identifies the judging deity. The phrase al hadavar hazeh {עַל־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה | ʿal haddāḇār hazzēh} ‘because of this matter’ specifies the cause of displeasure. The verb vayakh {וַיַּ֖ךְ | wayyak} ‘and he struck’, with et {אֶת | ʾet} as direct object marker, expresses divine punishment on Yisrael {יִשְׂרָאֵֽל | yiśrāʾēl}. English shifts from Hebrew VSO to SVO; the formal preserves Hebrew structure, and the dynamic adds contextual clarity to the act of striking. |