| 34. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with vayehi {וַיְהִי | way-hî}, a wayyiqtol narrative marker introducing a new scene, further specified by mimachorat {מִמָּחֳרָת | mim-mā-ḥo-rāṯ} “on the following day.” The verb vatomer {וַתֹּאמֶר | wat-tō-mer} introduces direct speech by habekhira {הַבְּכִירָה | hab-bə-ḵî-rāh} to hatseira {הַצְּעִירָה | haṣ-ṣe-ʿî-rāh}. Hen {הֵן | hēn} signals emphasis before shakhavti {שָׁכַבְתִּי | šā-ḵav-tî} “I lay,” reporting action from emesh {אֶמֶשׁ | ʾe-meš} with avi {אָבִי | ʾā-vî} as object marked by et {אֶת | ʾeṯ}. The Hifil cohortative nashkennu {נַשְׁקֶנּוּ | naš-qen-nû} “let us make him drink” outlines their plan into hallaylah {הַלַּיְלָה | ha-lay-lāh}, followed by imperatives uvo'i {וּבֹאִי | û-ḇō-ʾî} “go in” and shikhvi {שִׁכְבִי | šiḵ-bî} “lie down” directing immo {עִמּוֹ | ʿim-mô}. The purpose clause unechaye me'avinu zera {וּנְחַיֶּה מֵאָבִינוּ זָרַע | û-nə-ḥay-yê mē-ʾā-vî-nû zā-raʿ} uses a Hifil imperfect to express the intention to “preserve offspring from our father.” English renders the wayyiqtol with past narrative, the cohortative as a proposal, and the imperatives as commands, foregrounding zera {זָרַע | zā-raʿ} as the goal. |