| 9. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the construct numeral sheshet {שֵׁשֶׁת | šē-šet} ‘six’ immediately followed by the noun yamim {יָמִים | yā-mîm} ‘days’, forming a temporal frame that governs the command. The Qal imperfect verb taavod {תַּעֲבֹד | ta-ʿă-vōḏ} ‘you shall work’ expresses obligation. It is coordinated by vav with the Qal perfect verb veasita {וְעָשִׂיתָ | wə-ʿā-śî-tā} ‘and you shall do’, extending the action to completing tasks. The adverbial kol {כָּל | kāl} ‘all’ combines with the noun melakhtekha {מְלַאכְתֶּךָ | mə-laḵ-te-ḵā} ‘your work’ to denote totality. Syntactically, the sequence temporal phrase + obligation verbs + totality unit creates a balanced parallelism that highlights both the duration and comprehensive scope of labor, setting a clear counterpoint to the subsequent Sabbath prohibition. |