| 11. Linguistic Exegesis The Hebrew clause begins with vehayu {וְהָי֥וּ | wə-hā-yû} ‘and they shall be,’ a Qal perfect with vav-consecutive indicating future-directive force, followed by the Niphal participle nekhonim {נְכֹנִ֖ים | nə-ḵō-nîm} ‘prepared,’ forming an instruction for communal readiness. The temporal phrase layom hashelishi {לַיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֑י | lā-yōm ha-šə-lî-šî} marks “for the third day.” The conjunction ki {כִּ֣י | kî} introduces a causal clause, repeated by bayom hashelishi {בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֗י | ba-yōm ha-šə-lî-šî} “on the third day,” reinforcing the divinely set timeline. The verb yered {יֵרֵ֧ד | yê-rêḏ} ‘will come down’ predicates the theophany of Yahweh {יְהוָ֛ה | Yə-hō-wāh}, and the prepositional phrase le'einei kol ha'am {לְעֵינֵ֥י כָל־הָעָ֖ם | lə-ʿê-nê kāl-hā-ʿām} ‘before the eyes of all the people’ emphasizes the public witness of His descent. The locative al har Sinai {עַל־הַ֥ר סִינָֽי | ʿal har sî-nāy} anchors the event at the covenant mountain. Repetition of “third day” and preservation of the Hebrew causal structure underscore the solemnity and clear appointment of this theophany. |