| 15. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with vayhi {וַיְהִי | wə-yə-hî} ‘and it was’, a vav-consecutive Qal imperfect marking narrative progression, followed by kihiksha {כִּֽי־הִקְשָׁ֣ה | kî-hik-šâ} ‘when he hardened’, a Hifil perfect that introduces Pharaoh’s stubborn stance. The Piel infinitive leshalləḥenu {לְשַׁלְּחֵנוּ | lə-šal-lə-ḥê-nû} ‘to send us’ serves as the action Pharaoh resists, while the subsequent vav-consecutive vayaharog {וַיַּהֲרֹ֨ג | wə-ya-har-ôg} ‘and he killed’ shifts to Yahweh’s judgment. A construct chain kol-bekhor be’erets mitsrayim {כָּל־בְּכוֹר בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַיִם | kol bə-ḵôr bə-ʾe-reṣ miṣ-rā-yim} details the victims, paralleled by mibbekhor adam {מִבְּכֹר אָדָם | miḇ-bə-ḵôr ’ā-dām} and ve’ad-bekhor behema {וְעַד־בְּכוֹר בְּהֵמָה | wə-ʿad bə-ḵôr bə-hê-mâ}. The result marker alken {עַל־כֵּן | ’al-kên} introduces the cultic response in zoveaḥ layhwh {זֹבֵחַ לַיהוָה | zō-ḇē-aḥ la-yə-hō-wāh} ‘I sacrifice to the LORD’, which contrasts with ve’efdeh {וְכָל־בְּכֹר בָּנַי אֶפְדֶה | wə-kol bə-ḵôr ba-nā-y ’ĕf-deh} ‘and I redeem every firstborn of my sons’, underscoring the tension between sacrifice and redemption. |