| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative employs two wayyiqtol forms: wayyis'u {וַ֠יִּסְעוּ | wayyisʿû} ‘and they set out’ and wayyaḥănû {וַֽיַּחֲנוּ֙ | wayyaḥănû} ‘and they camped’, marking sequential actions. The construct phrase kol-ʿăḏaṯ b-ne-yiś-rā-ʾêl {כָּל־עֲדַת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֧ל | kol-ʿă-ḏaṯ bə-nê-yiś-rā-ʾêl} ‘all the congregation of the sons of Israel’ forms a unified subject. The prepositional expression mim-mid-bar-sîn {מִמִּדְבַּר־סִ֛ן | mim-mid-bar-sîn} ‘from the wilderness of Sin’ expresses origin, while lə-mas-ʿê-hem {לְמַסְעֵיהֶ֖ם | lə-mas-ʿê-hem} ‘to their journeys’ conveys the staged nature of travel. The phrase ʿal-pî Yə-hō-wāh {עַל־פִּי יְהוָ֑ה | ʿal-pî Yə-hō-wāh} ‘according to the command of the LORD’ indicates divine directive. Finally, the existential clause wə-ʾên mā-yim liš-tōṯ hā-ʿām {וְאֵ֥ן מַ֖יִם לִשְׁתֹּ֥ת הָעָֽם | wə-ʾên mā-yim liš-tōṯ hā-ʿām} ‘and there was no water for the people to drink’ introduces a crisis that heightens narrative tension. |