| 19. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative begins with vayomeru {וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ | wayyōʾmerû} ‘and they said’, a Qal prefix-conjugation (wayyiqtol) form that introduces the people’s speech. The prepositional phrase el-mo-SHE {אֶל־מֹשֶׁה | ʾel-mōšeh} ‘to Moses’ establishes Moses as mediator. Daber-attah {דַּבֵּר־אַתָּה | dab-bēr-ʾat-tāh} ‘you speak’ places the imperative before the pronoun for emphasis on personal address. The repetition of imanu {עִמָּנוּ | ʿim-mā-nû} ‘with us’ reinforces the desire for mediated communication. Venishma‘ah {וְנִשְׁמָעָה | wə-nišmāʿāh}, a Niphal imperfect with cohortative nuance, expresses the people’s committed response. The adversative ve-al-yedabber {וְאַל־יְדַבֵּר | wə-ʾal-yədabber} and the Piel imperfect with jussive nuance form a polite prohibition. Pen namut {פֶּן־נָמֽוּת | pen nāmût} introduces a feared-result clause ‘lest we die’. Hebrew parataxis links the clauses directly, while English coordination and slight smoothing clarify the contrast between mediated access and divine danger. |