| 2. Linguistic Exegesis vayomer {וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyōʾmer} ‘and he said’ introduces direct speech. The presentation particle hineh {הִנֶּה | hinnēh} ‘behold’ immediately draws attention, reinforced by the entreaty particle na {נָּא | nāʾ} ‘please,’ softening the plea. The vocative adonai {אֲדֹנַי | ʾăḏōnay} ‘my lords’ is a plural of respect addressing the visitors. A sequence of imperatives—suru {סוּרוּ | sûrû} ‘turn aside,’ velinu {וְלִינוּ | wəlînû} ‘let us lodge,’ verachatsu {וְרַחֲצוּ | wə-raḥăṣû} ‘and wash’—structures the hospitable invitation, with el-beit avdechem {אֶל־בֵּית עַבְדְּכֶם | ʾel-bêt ʿaḇdəḵem} specifying Lot’s house as the destination. The Hifil perfect vehishkamtem {וְהִשְׁכַּמְתֶּם | wəhiškamtem} ‘and you will rise early’ and the perfect vahalakhtem {וַהֲלַכְתֶּם | wa-hălaḵtem} ‘and you will go’ project subsequent morning actions, linked by the prepositional phrase ledarkechem {לְדַרְכְּכֶם | lədarkəḵem} ‘to your way.’ The narrative returns with vayomru {וַיֹּאמְרוּ | wayyōʾmərû} ‘and they said,’ whose emphatic negative lo {לֹא | lōʾ} ‘no’ and contrastive ki {כִּי | kî} ‘but’ heighten the refusal. Barechov nalin {בָּרְחֹב נָלִן | bārəḥōv nālîn} uses location before action, rendered smoothly in English to preserve emphasis on the public setting. |