Exodus 13:4ExegesisTAB

Exodus 13 : 4 Departure | Timing | Season
4. Linguistic Exegesis
The verse begins with the temporal demonstrative hayom {הַיּ֖וֹם | hā-yōm} ‘the day,’ establishing an exact time frame. The second person plural pronoun atem {אַתֶּ֣ם | ʾă-ṭem} serves as the subject. The participle yotseim {יֹצְאִ֑ם | yō-ṣe-ʾîm} follows, indicating collective departure. The prepositional phrase be-chodesh ha-aviv {בְּחֹ֖דֶשׁ הָאָבִֽיב | bə-ḥō-ḏeš hā-ʾā-vîv} specifies the festival month. The Hebrew sequence (demonstrative + pronoun + participle + prepositional phrase) foregrounds immediacy and communal action, mirrored in English by fronting “Today”/“It is today” and using present participles.

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