| 11. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive in vayomeru {וַיֹּאמְרוּ | wayyoʾmerû} ‘and they said’, shifting the Qal imperfect into past narrative and introducing direct speech. The interrogative particle hammibbli {הַמִבְּלִי | hammibbîlî} ‘is it because not’ combines ha-mi + the negative particle bal, and the negative existential verb en {אֵין | ʾên} ‘there is not’ with the noun kevarim {קְבָרִים | qəvārîm} ‘graves’ to pose a rhetorical question about the absence of burial sites. The locative be-mitsrayim {בְּמִצְרַיִם | bə-miṣrāyim} ‘in Egypt’ sets the scene. The paired infinitives le-kachtanu {לְקַחְתָּנוּ | lə-qaḥ-tā-nû} ‘you have taken us’ and la-mut {לָמוּת | lā-mût} ‘to die’ express purpose, with ba-midbar {בַּמִּדְבָּר | ba-middbār} ‘in the wilderness’ specifying location. The second interrogative mah-zot {מַה־זֹּאת | mah-zôṯ} ‘what is this’ intensifies the complaint, followed by asita {עָשִׂיתָ | ʿăśītā} ‘you have done’ and la-nu {לָּנוּ | lā-nû} ‘to us’. Finally, the Hiphil infinitive le-ho-tsi-anu {לְהוֹצִיאָנוּ | lə-hō-ṣî-ʾā-nû} ‘to bring us out’ with mimmitsrayim {מִמִּצְרָיִם | mimmitsrāyim} ‘from Egypt’ highlights causation. This VSO structure and nested infinitives convey Israel’s fear and accusation while the English SVO rendering preserves emotional force and rhetorical pacing. |