| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the temporal phrase bachodesh {בַּחֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ | bā-ḥō-deš} ‘in the month’ modified by the ordinal hashlishi {הַשְּׁלִישִׁי | haš-šə-lî-šî} ‘the third’, establishing the timeframe. The infinitive clause letset bnei-Yisrael {לְצֵ֥את בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל | lə-ṣēʾt bə-nê-yiś-rā-ʾēl} ‘at the going out of the sons of Israel’ acts as a reference point tied to the Exodus. The phrase me’erets Mitsrayim {מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם | mē-ʾə-reṣ miṣ-rā-yim} locates the origin of departure. A second temporal marker, bayom hazeh {בַּיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה | bā-yōm haz-zeh} ‘on this day’, zooms in on the specific day of arrival. The main verb bau {בָּ֖אוּ | bā-ʾû} ‘they came’ introduces the narrative motion, and the construct midbar Sinai {מִדְבַּ֥ר סִינָֽי | mid-bār sî-nāy} ‘wilderness of Sinai’ designates the destination. This stepwise progression from general timeframe to exact day emphasizes Sinai’s central role in Israel’s covenant journey. |