| 2. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the Piel imperfect vayeshalash {וַיְשַׁלַּשׁ | wayšallaš} ‘he divided into thirds’, marked by the vav-consecutive to advance the narrative. The direct object marker et {אֶת־ | ʾet} introduces the people ha-am {הָעָם | hā-ʿam}, further specified by the participle ha-yoshvim {הַיֹּשְׁבִים | ha-yōšəḇîm} ‘those dwelling’. The coordinated distribution uses the idiom be-yad {בְּיַד | bə-yād} ‘under the hand of’ to denote delegated authority. The vav-consecutive vayomer {וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyōmer} introduces the king’s speech, where the infinitive absolute yatzo etse {יָצוֹא אֵצֵא | yāṣōʾ ʾēṣēʾ} ‘going out I will go out’ reinforces his determination. The formal rendering employs “dividing” to reflect the Hebrew distributive action, while the dynamic version opts for “arranged” to convey natural grouping. |