| 7. Linguistic Exegesis The clause begins with the vav-consecutive verb vayikkach {וַיִּקַּ֗ח | wayyiqqāḥ} “and he took,” signaling narrative continuation. It governs two coordinated direct objects: the quantified noun phrase shesh-meʾot rechev bachur {שֵׁשׁ־מֵא֥וֹת רֶ֙כֶב֙ בָּחוּר | šēš-mēʾōṯ re-ḵeḇ bāḥûr} “six hundred choice chariots,” where the participle bachur follows and qualifies rechev; and the expanded phrase vekol rechev mitsrayim {וְכֹ֖ל רֶ֣כֶב מִצְרָ֑יִם | wə-kōl re-ḵeḇ miṣrāyim} “and all the chariots of Egypt.” The final prepositional construction ve-shalishim al-kullo {וְשָׁלִשִׁ֖ם עַל־כֻּלּֽוֹ | wə-šālišîm ʿal-kullô} “and officers over all of it” assigns hierarchical authority via עַל. This coordination underscores both the scale of Egyptian forces and the distribution of command. |