| 19. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with ki {כִּ֣י | kî} ‘for or when’, introducing a temporal-causal clause. The nominal construct sus par‘oh {ס֨וּס פַּרְעֹ֜ה | sûs pâr-ōʼ} ‘the horse of Pharaoh’ serves as the subject to the vav-consecutive Hiphil verb va-yashev {וַיָּ֧שֶׁב | way-yā-šeb} ‘and caused to return’. The coordinated prepositional phrases be-rikhvo {בְּרִכְבּ֤וֹ | bə-rik-ke-vô} ‘with his chariot’ and u-ve-farashav {וּבְפָרָשָׁיו֙ | wə-p̄ā-rā-šāw} ‘and his horsemen’ specify the Egyptian forces as they entered the sea marked by ba-yam {בַּיָּ֔ם | ba-yām}. The direct object et-mei ha-yam {אֶת־מֵ֣י הַיָּ֑ם | ʾet-mêy ha-yām} ‘the waters of the sea’ highlights divine judgment. A contrasting clause introduced by u-ve-nei {וּבְנֵ֧י | wə-bᵊ-nê} ‘and the sons of’ presents Yisra’el {יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל | Yiś-rā-’ēl} as subject with halchu {הָלְכוּ | hā-lǝ-ḵū} ‘walked’, while the locative ba-yabbashah {בַּיַּבָּשָׁ֖ה | ba-yab-bā-šāh} ‘on dry ground’ and the prepositional phrase be-tokh ha-yam {בְּת֥וֹךְ הַיָּֽם | bə-toḵ ha-yām} ‘in the midst of the sea’ underscore the miraculous nature of the passage. |