| 30. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative opens with the vav consecutive vayyissov {וַיִּסֹּב | wayyissôḇ} ‘and he turned’, indicating a shift of addressee. The phrase me'etzlo {מֵאֶצְלוֹ | mê-ʾeṣ-lō} ‘from beside him’ marks the former interlocutor, and the construct el-mul acher {אֶל־מ֣וּל אַחֵר | ʾel-mūl ʾaḥēr} ‘toward another’ establishes the new target. The verb vayyomer {וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyōmer} ‘and he said’ introduces the repeated matter through the comparative formula ka-davar ha-zeh {כַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה | ka-ḏāḇār hā-zēh} ‘according to this matter’. The Hiphil wayyshibhu {וַיְשִׁיבֻהוּ | wayyišib-hū} ‘and they answered him’ presents the response of ha-am {הָעָם | hā-ʿām}, and the phrase ka-davar ha-rishon {כַּדָּבָר הָרִאשׁוֹן | ka-ḏāḇār hā-rîšôn} ‘as the first’ underscores the parallelism of repetition. The English translation preserves the Hebrew clause order to highlight persistent questioning and uniform reply. |