| 10. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the wayyiqtol verb vayomer {וַיֹּאמֶר֮ | way-yō-mer} ‘and he said,’ introducing Jethro’s speech. The subject yitro {יִתְרוֹ֒ | yiṯ-rô} follows the verb, reflecting Hebrew verb–subject order. Within the quotation, the predicate participle barukh {בָּרוּךְ֣ | bārûḵ} ‘blessed’ is fronted before the divine name Yahweh {יְהוָ֔ה | Yə-hō-wāh}, forming a benediction formula. The relative clause asher hitsil {אֲשֶׁ֨ר הִצִּ֥יל | ăšer hiṣ-ṣîl} ‘who delivered’ grounds the blessing in specific divine action, first hitsil etkhem {הִצִּ֥יל אֶתְכֶ֛ם | hiṣ-ṣîl ʾeṯ-kem} ‘delivered you.’ Two parallel prepositional phrases, miyad mitsrayim {מִיַּ֥ד מִצְרַ֖יִם | miy-yad miṣrāyim} ‘from the hand of Egypt’ and umiyad paroh {וּמִיַּ֣ד פַּרְעֹ֑ה | ū-miy-yad par-ʿōh} ‘and from the hand of Pharaoh,’ present balanced oppression motifs. A second relative clause asher hitsil {אֲשֶׁ֤ר הִצִּיל֙ | ăšer hiṣ-ṣîl} ‘who delivered’ expands to et-haam {אֶת־הָעָ֔ם | ʾeṯ-hā-ʿām} ‘the people.’ The phrase mitakhat yad-mitsrayim {מִתַּ֖חַת יַד־מִצְרָֽיִם | mit-ta-ḥat yad-miṣ-rā-yim} ‘from under the hand of Egypt’ intensifies the imagery of subjugation. The English preserves the relative clauses to mirror Hebrew causal structure while retaining “hand” literally in the formal to preserve the metaphor. |