| 25. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with we-yish-ma-el {וְיִשְׁמָעֵ֣אל | wə-yiš-mā-ʿēl}, a coordinative continuation from the preceding narrative that foregrounds Ishmael. The appositional phrase be-no {בְּנ֔וֹ | bə-nô} identifies his relationship as Abraham’s child. The construct chain ben she-losh e-sreh sha-nah {בֶּן־שְׁלֹ֥שׁ עֶשְׂרֵ֖ה שָׁנָ֑ה | ben šə-lōš ʿeś-rē šā-nāh} expresses age as “a son of thirteen years,” where ben governs the numeral phrase closing with sha-nah. The infinitive construct be-him-mo-lo {בְּהִ֨מֹּל֔וֹ | bə-him-mō-lô} with preposition introduces a temporal clause “at his being circumcised,” situating the age at that event. The particle et {אֵ֖ת | ʾēt} marks the direct object, the construct phrase be-sar or-la-to {בְּשַׂ֥ר עָרְלָתֽוֹ | bə-śar ʿor-lā-tô}, “the flesh of his foreskin,” a conventional Hebrew idiom for circumcision. English renders the infinitive as a subordinate clause “when he was circumcised” and retains the anatomical specificity to mirror the Hebrew idiom. |