| 6. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the emphasis particle hineni {הִנְנִי | hin-nē-nî} ‘Here I am,’ marking direct divine address. The participle omed {עֹמֵד | ʿō-mēḏ} ‘standing’ conveys ongoing posture, followed by the prepositional phrase lefanekha {לְפָנֶיךָ | lə-fā-ne-kā} ‘before you’ and the locative sham {שָּׁם | šām} ‘there.’ The sequence al-hatsur bechorev {עַל־הַצּוּר בְּחֹרֵב | ʿal-haṣ-ṣûr bə-ḥō-rēv} ‘on the rock at Horeb’ establishes spatial context. The vav-consecutive Hifil perfect vehikita {וְהִכִּיתָ | wə-hik-kî-tā} ‘and you shall strike’ issues the command, leading to the result clauses veyatse’u {וְיָצְאוּ | wə-yāṣ-ə-ʾû} ‘and they will go out’ and veshata {וְשָׁתָה | wə-šā-ṯā} ‘and will drink,’ showing cause and effect. The collective noun mayim {מַיִם | ma-yim} functions as the subject of the miracle. The narrative resumes with vayya’as ken moshe {וַיַּעַשׂ כֵּן מֹשֶׁה | way-ya-ʿaś kēn mō-šeh} ‘and Moses did thus,’ indicating compliance. The final phrase le’einei ziknei Yisrael {לְעֵינֵי זִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל | lə-ʿê-nê ziḳ-nê yiś-rā-ʾēl} ‘in the sight of the elders of Israel’ provides a testimonial frame. The consistent use of vav-consecutive forms underscores the swift progression from divine command to obedient action, while the spatial markers highlight Horeb as the site of provision. |