| 10. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the Hiphil perfect hiqriv {הִקְרִ֑יב | hîqrîv} ‘approached,’ establishing the immediacy of Pharaoh’s threat. This is followed by the vav-consecutive vayis'u {וַיִּשְׂאוּ֩ | vayisʾû} ‘and they lifted,’ linking the construct bnei Yisra'el {בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל | bənē-Yiśrāʾēl} ‘sons of Israel’ to the direct object et einehem {אֶת־עֵינֵיהֶ֜ם | ʾet ʿênê-hem} ‘their eyes.’ The interjection vehinneh {וְהִנֵּ֥ה | wə-hinnēh} ‘and behold’ signals the appearance of mitsrayim {מִצְרַיִם | miṣrāyim} ‘Egypt,’ after which the participle nosea {נֹסֵ֣עַ | nōsēaʿ} ‘traveling’ with the suffix achareihem {אַחֲרֵיהֶ֗ם | ʾaḥărê-hem} ‘after them’ forms a dependent clause. The sequence vayiru me'od {וַיִּֽירְאוּ מְאֹד | vayyirʾû mēʾōḏ} ‘and they feared exceedingly’ heightens the tension, and vayitsa'ku {וַיִּצְעֲקוּ֥ | vayyitṣaʿqû} ‘and they cried out,’ framed by bnei Yisra'el, culminates as the people turn el Yahweh {אֶל־יְהוָֽה | ʾel־Yahweh} ‘to the LORD,’ marking the theological pivot toward divine deliverance. |