| 8. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative begins with a series of vav consecutive imperfect verbs: vayakam {וַיָּ֖קָם | wə-yā-qām} ‘and he arose’, vayokhal {וַיֹּ֣אכַל | wə-yōʾə-khal} ‘and he ate’, vayishteh {וַיִּשְׁתֶּ֑ה | wə-yish-tēh} ‘and he drank’, and vayelekh {וַיֵּ֜לֶךְ | wə-yē-leḵ} ‘and he went’, which sets a rapid action sequence. The construct chain be-koach ha-ʾăḥīlāh ha-hīʾ {בְּכֹחַ הָאֲכִילָ֣ה הַהִ֗יא | bə-kō-aḥ hā-ʾă-ḵī-lāh ha-hīʾ} links koach {כֹּחַ | kō-aḥ} ‘strength’ with ʾăḥīlāh {אֲכִילָה | ʾă-ḥî-lāh} ‘food’, indicating the source of endurance. The idiom arbaʿim yom wə-arbaʿim laylāh {אַרְבָּעִ֥ים יוֹם֙ וְאַרְבָּעִ֣ים לַ֔יְלָה | ʾar-bā-ʿîm yôm wə-ar-bā-ʿîm lay-lāh} ‘forty days and forty nights’ expresses a complete period of trial. Finally, ʿad {עַ֛ד | ʿad} functions as a directional goal marker, and ha-ʾĕlōhīm {הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים | hā-ʾĕ-lō-hîm} highlights the sacred destination, Horeb. |