| 32. Linguistic Exegesis The verse employs the vav-consecutive construction for narrative sequencing: vayiven {וַיִּבְנֶה | wayyibbneh} ‘and he built’ introduces the first action with ha’avanim {הָאֲבָנִים | haʾavānîm} ‘the stones’ marked by et {אֶת־ | ʾĕt}. The object mizbeach {מִזְבֵּחַ | mizzebāḥ} ‘altar’ is specified ‘in the name of’ God through beshem Yahweh {בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה | bəšêm yəhôwâh}, indicating dedication. The subsequent vayaas {וַיַּעַשׂ | wayyaʿăs} ‘and he made’ introduces tealah {תְּעָלָה | təʿălāh} ‘trench’. The comparative phrase keveyt saʾatayîm zêraʿ {כְּבֵית סָאתַיִם זֶרַע | kəbêyt saʾatayîm zêraʿ} equates the trench’s size to the capacity for two seahs of seed, where keveyt marks comparison, saʾatayîm is a dual measure, and zêraʿ names the substance. The adverb saviv {סָבִיב | săviv} ‘around’ and the prepositional phrase lamizbeach {לַמִּזְבֵּחַ | lammizbêaḥ} ‘to the altar’ complete the spatial description, which English renders by preserving the sequence, dedication formula, and comparative measurement in fluid narrative order. |