| 25. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative opens with the vav-consecutive verb vayasar {וַיָּ֗סַר | wayyāsar} ‘and he removed’, establishing sequential past action. The construct phrase ofan markebotav {אֹפַן מַרְכְּבֹתָיו | ʾōp̄ān markəbōṯāyw} ‘wheels of their chariots’ employs synecdoche by using one part to represent the entire chariot force. The following veyenahagehu {וַיְנַהֲגֵהוּ | wayyənahăgēhû} ‘and he drove them’ combined with the adverbial bikhvedut {בִּכְבֵדֻת | bîḵḇēḏut} ‘with heaviness’ underscores the crippling effect on their mobility. The cohortative anusah {אָנ֙וּסָה֙ | ʾānûsāh} ‘let us flee’ conveys collective panic. The causal clause ki Yahweh nilcham lahem {כִּי יְהוָה נִלְחָם לָהֶם | kî yəhōwāh nīlḥām lāhēm} ‘for the LORD is fighting for them’ uses a Nifal participle to indicate ongoing divine engagement, and bemitsrayim {בְּמִצְרָיִם | bəmīṣrāyim} locates the action. In English, narrative vav-consecutives become simple past, and the participle appears in present to reflect continuous divine support. |