| 26. Linguistic Exegesis The verse consists of two sequential wayyiqtol verbs, vatabet {וַתַּבֵּט | wat-tabbēṭ} ‘and she looked’ and vatehi {וַתְּהִי | wat-tehî} ‘and she became,’ establishing a direct cause-and-effect sequence. The first clause, “vatabet ishto meacharav,” begins with the verb, followed by the subject ishto {אִשְׁתּוֹ | ʾiš-tô} ‘his wife’ and the prepositional phrase meacharav {מֵאַחֲרָיו | mē-ʾa-ḥă-rāw} ‘from behind him,’ highlighting her hesitation and focus on what she left behind. The second clause introduces vatehi with the result of her act: she becomes nitsiv melach {נְצִיב מֶלַח | nə-ṣîḇ me-laḥ}, a construct chain ‘pillar of salt,’ depicting her complete and static transformation. The Hebrew verb–subject order and tight consecutive actions are rendered in English with “looked back … and she was transformed” to preserve both the narrative immediacy and the sense of judgment. |