| 27. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative opens with the vav-consecutive verb vayet {וַיֵּט֩ | wāy-yeṯ} ‘and he stretched out’, linking the action to the preceding context and portraying Moses as God’s instrument. The prepositional phrase al hayam {עַל־הַיָּ֗ם | ʿal ha-yām} ‘over the sea’ establishes the spatial focus. The sequence vayashav hayam {וַיָּ֨שָׁב הַיָּ֜ם | wāy-yā-šāḇ ha-yām} ‘and the sea returned’ functions as a result clause, followed by the infinitive lifnot {לִפְנ֥וֹת | līp-nôṯ} ‘to turn’ and the temporal noun boker {בֹּ֙קֶר֙ | bō-qer} ‘morning’, specifying the timing of restoration. The infinitive phrase leetano {לְאֵ֣תָנ֔וֹ | lə-ʾêṯ-ānô} ‘to its strength’ highlights the sea’s original vigor. The participle nasim {נָסִים | nā-sîm} ‘fleeing’ introduces the Egyptians’ frantic motion, intensified by likrato {לִקְרָאת֑וֹ | li-qə-rāṯ-ô} ‘toward it’. The vav-consecutive Piel imperfect vayenaer {וַיְנַעֵ֧ר | wāy-nə-ʿêṯ} ‘and he swept away’ emphasizes decisive divine judgment. The locative betokh hayam {בְּתוֹךְ־הַיָּם | bə-tôḵ ha-yām} ‘in the midst of the sea’ frames the final scene. The shift from Hebrew VSO to English SVO preserves narrative immediacy while underscoring theological themes of deliverance and judgment. |