| 21. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with ve'atta {וְאַתָּה | wə-ʾat-tāh} ‘and you’, placing the second person pronoun in a prominent initial position to focus responsibility on Moses. The verb techezeh {תֶחֱזֶה | te-ḥe-zeh} is a Qal imperfect carrying an instructional nuance, functioning as a direct command. The prepositional phrase mikol ha'am {מִכָּל־הָעָם | mi-kol hā-ʿām} ‘from all the people’ specifies the broad pool, immediately following the verb to emphasize inclusivity. A tightly packed series of construct phrases—anshei-chayil {אַנְשֵׁי־חַיִל | ʾan-šê-ḥayil} ‘men of ability’, yirei Elohim {יִרְאֵי אֱלֹהִים | yir-ʾê ʾĕ-lō-hîm} ‘those who fear God’, anshei emet {אַנְשֵׁי אֱמֶת | ʾan-šê ʾĕ-met} ‘men of truth’, and son'ei batsa {שֹׂנְאֵי בָצַע | śōn-ʾê bā-ṣaʿ} ‘haters of unjust gain’—uses asyndeton to produce a cumulative portrayal of enduring virtues. The clause beginning with vesamta {וְשַׂמְתָּ | wə-śam-tā} ‘and you shall set’ continues the directive sequence, with alehem {עֲלֵהֶם | ʿă-lê-hem} ‘over them’ marking the leaders’ authority. A descending numerical hierarchy—sarei alafim {שָׂרֵי אֲלָפִים | śā-rê ʾă-lā-p̄îm}, sarei me'ot {שָׂרֵי מֵאוֹת | śā-rê mê-ʾōṯ}, sarei chamishim {שָׂרֵי חֲמִשִּׁים | śā-rê ḥă-miš-šîm}, and vesarei asarot {וְשָׂרֵי עֲשָׂרֹת | wə-śā-rê ʿă-śā-rōṯ} presents a structured delegation pattern. In English, commas and relative clauses preserve the cumulative force and clarify each tier while maintaining the original’s rhythmic parallelism. |