| 10. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the conjunction vav {וָ | wā-} ‘and’ prefixed to the Hiphil imperfect verbs otzi’em {אוֹצִיאֵם | ʾō-ṣî-ʾêm} ‘I caused to go out’ and avi’em {אָבִאֵם | ʾā-ḇî-ʾêm} ‘I brought’, both with first person singular subject and third person plural object suffixes. The prepositional phrase me’eretz mitsrayim {מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם | mê-ʾe-reṣ miṣ-rā-yim} ‘from the land of Egypt’ marks the source, while el hamidbar {אֶל־הַמִּדְבָּר | ʾel ham-mid-bār} ‘to the wilderness’ indicates the destination, with the definite article ha- specifying the locale. This parallel vav-Hiphil structure emphasizes a twofold divine action: deliverance followed by guidance. |