| 21. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative begins with the wayyiqtol verb vayyappel {וַיַּפֵּל֩ | wayyappēl} ‘he caused to fall’, introducing divine action. It is followed by vayyishan {וַיִּישָׁ֑ן | wayyî-šān} ‘and he slept’, vayyiqach {וַיִּקַּ֗ח | wayyiq-qaḥ} ‘and he took’, and vayisgor {וַיִּסְגֹּ֥ר | wayyis-gōr} ‘and he closed’, maintaining a continuous narrative chain of waw-consecutive forms. The noun tardemah {תַּרְדֵּמָ֛ה | tar-dē-māh} ‘deep sleep’ functions as a divine-induced, extraordinary state. The prepositional phrase ʿal ha-adam {עַל־הָאָדָ֖ם | ʿal-hā-ʾā-ḏām} identifies the man as the recipient. The clause vayyiqach achat mitsalotav {וַיִּקַּ֗ח אַחַת֙ מִצַּלְעֹתָ֔יו | wayyiq-qaḥ ʾaḥaṯ miṣ-ṣal-ʿō-ṯāw} ‘and he took one of his ribs’ indicates selection from multiple. The final clause vayisgor basar tachtennah {וַיִּסְגֹּ֥ר בָּשָׂ֖ר תַּחְתֶּֽנָּה | wayyis-gōr bā-śār taḥ-ten-nāh} ‘and he closed the flesh underneath it’ emphasizes precise divine substitution and craftsmanship. |