| 40. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive in vayhi {וַיְהִי | wayhî} “and it happened,” signaling a narrative shift. The phrase avdekha {עַבְדְּךָ | ʿăḇəḏḵā} “your servant” establishes social hierarchy. The idiomatic cluster oseh henna wāhēnnā {עֹשֵׂה הֵנָּה וָהֵנָּה | ʿōśē hēnnā wāhēnnā} “doing here and there” uses parallelism to portray distraction. The existential clause wəhû ʾênênnû {וְה֣וּא אֵינֶנּוּ | wəhû ʾênênnû} “and he was not there” employs a negative existential verb to convey sudden absence. In the verdict formula, kên {כֵּן | kên} “thus” introduces mishpāṭeḵā {מִשְׁפָּטֶךָ | mišpāṭeḵā} “your judgment,” and the perfect verb ḥārāṣtā {חָרָצְתָּ | ḥārāṣtā} confirms personal responsibility. The coordination underscores the link between distraction and accountability. |