| 5. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav-consecutive verb vayhi {וַיְהִי֙ | wayyîhî} ‘and it happened’, signaling narrative continuation. The temporal infinitive construct kišmôa {כִּשְׁמֹ֣עַ | kīšmōʿa} ‘when hearing’ introduces the trigger for action. Baʿša {בַּעְשָׁ֔א | Baʿšā} is the subject governing the finite verbs. The sequence vayekhdal {וַיֶּחְדַּל | wayyēḥdal} ‘he ceased’ (Qal) followed by wayyašbêṯ {וַיַּשְׁבֵּ֖ת | wayyašbêṯ} ‘he caused to cease’ (Hiphil) moves from passive discontinuation to active termination. The prepositional infinitive mibbənôt {מִבְּנ֖וֹת | mibbənōṯ} ‘from building’ specifies the halted activity, with the direct object marker ʾet {אֶת־ | ʾeṯ} marking both hārāmâ {הָרָמָה | hārāmâ} and məlāʾakhtô {מְלַאכְתּֽוֹ | məlāʾakhtô} as the thoroughly abandoned targets. |