| 13. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the transitional adverb veattah {וְעַתָּה | wə-ʿa-ṭṭāh} ‘and now’, marking immediate continuation. The Qal perfect verb shalakhtî {שָׁלַחְתִּי | šā-laḥ-tî} ‘I have sent’ expresses a completed action by the speaker. A nominal phrase follows: ʾîš {אִישׁ | ʾîš} ‘man’ modified by the adjective ḥākām {חָכָם | ḥā-kām} ‘skilled’ and the participle yōḏēaʿ {יֹדֵעַ | yō-ḏêaʿ} ‘knowing’ governing the noun bin-nâ {בִּינָה | bin-nâ} ‘understanding’. The prepositional phrase lĕ-ḥūrām {לְחוּרָם | lə-ḥū-rām} ‘to Huram’ and the construct chain ʾā-bî {אָבִי | ʾā-bî} ‘my father’ form the addressee designation, indicating the recipient of the envoy. The layering of modifiers highlights the man’s expertise before specifying his destination. |