| 23. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with vayavo’u {וַיָּבֹאוּ | wayyābō’û}, the vav-consecutive Qal imperfect indicating sequential action, and maratah {מָרָתָה | mārāṯā} functions as a locative marking movement toward Marah. The inability clause velo yakhlu lishtot {וְלֹא יָכְלוּ לִשְׁתֹּת | wə-lōʼ yākhlû lištôt} combines negation with imperfect and infinitive construct. The genitival source phrase mayim mimmārā {מַיִם מִמָּרָה | mayyim mimmārā} indicates the waters’ origin. The causal clause ki marim hem {כִּי מָרִים הֵם | kī mārîm hēm} places the adjective before the pronoun for emphasis on the bitterness. The result clause introduced by al-ken {עַל־כֵּן | ʿal-kên} leads to the perfect qārā-šēmāh {קָרָא־שְׁמָהּ | qārā-šēmāh}, establishing the toponym’s origin through naming. |