| 6. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the wayyiqtol verb vayomer {וַיֹּאמֶר | way-yō-mer} ‘and he said’, introducing direct speech. The prepositional phrase el-mosheh {אֶל־מֹשֶׁה | ʾel mō-šeh} ‘to Moses’ marks the addressee. The pronoun ani {אֲנִי | ʾă-nî} ‘I’ is fronted for emphasis before khotenkha yitro {חֹתֶנְךָ יִתְרוֹ | ḥō-ten-kā yiṯ-rô} ‘your father-in-law Jethro’, highlighting the family bond. The participle ba {בָּא | bā} ‘coming’ conveys ongoing action, paired with elekha {אֵלֶיךָ | ʾê-lê-kā} ‘to you’. The coordinated veishtekha {וְאִשְׁתְּךָ | wə-ʾiš-te-kā} ‘and your wife’ and ushnei vaneha {וּשְׁנֵי בָנֶיהָ | ū-šə-nê bā-nê-hā} ‘and her two sons’ proceed without an explicit verb, relying on the participle. The final immah {עִמָּהּ | ʿim-māh} ‘with her’ clarifies accompaniment. This structure foregrounds identity, movement toward Moses, and accompanying family. |